When Earth Arises
by Blue Pantera
Summary: Gohan has a run-in with the Dream King, and Trunks and Goten give Lord Wyldon hell...Updated!
1. Prologue

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

Prologue:

Briar Moss stretched his arms and looked at Evvy. She was tucking her stones into the pouch, smiling happily. He grinned fondly down at his student, and ruffled her hair, making her scowl in his direction. He laughed.

"Hurry up, Evvy," he ordered. "It's about time for dinner. Go get cleaned up while I warm up some stew."

She started to answer, then a panicked look came over her face as she stared, open-mouthed at something over his shoulder. He turned to see a dark vortex of clouds gathering, spinning and sucking. He pulled back, trying to get away from the hurricane- like power caused by the vortex. It proved too powerful. Mentally, he reminded himself to lock his arms around Evvy, catching her as she was sucked into the clouds. If he lost her, Rosethorn would kill him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo's eyes snapped open. He eyed the two young figures creeping around in the foliage below him. He let a grin slip through his normally expressionless features, recognizing Trunks and Goten. It widened as he felt an enormous power he recognized as Gohan's coming toward him at an alarmingly fast pace. He dropped, supressing his ki, and fell from the skies to land silently among the trees behind the devious pair. He bit back laughter as he caught the panicked look on their faces as they felt the older boy. They didn't have to wait long, as he landed before them, a furious look on his face.

"I'm going to kill you two," he told them in a beguilingly calm voice. 

"Heh, heh," Goten started, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to plead with his older brother. "We didn't mean it, Ani-san..." His voice trailed of and he hid behind Trunks as Gohan grinned evilly at him.

"Of course not, Ototo," he smirked. "I'm sure you regret it now, right?" The two nodded violently, relieved.

"And I'm sure I'll regret killing you later, when Mom gets mad," he continued, laughing to himself as the panicked look came back on their faces.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" The two turned tail, and ran, heading straight for Piccolo. Surprised, he let them crashed into his chest, not having time to get out of the way. Gohan blinked.

"Oh, hi, Sensei," he smiled. "What were you doing in there?" Piccolo rolled his eyes, then they widened. Gohan had just enough time to turn before the spinning vortex of clouds sucked him, the two chibis, and his Sensei into its darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alanna the Lioness straightened as she felt something strange tug at her Gift. She rose, then stared wide-eyed at the two spinning masses of a cloud-like substance that hovered before her. They gurgled out six different figures, four from one and two from the other, before vanishing as quickly as they had come. She gaped at the strange figures fallen on the floor before her.

Please review, tell me if you like it, or if you don't...and why....i LOVE reviews!!!!!!!!


	2. Chapter One

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

Chapter One:

Alanna the Lioness, King's Champion had not been this surprised or speechless in many years. Nor had she ever seen such a strange collection of people, with all her many fights and battles against the immortals. She stared as her unexpected guests climbed to their feet, brushing themselves off.

"Where are we, Ani-san?" one of them asked. He was young, about seven or eight years, with wild black hair and large, dark eyes. The other visitor his age, which she noted with stunned surprise had floppy lavender colored hair and bright blue eyes, rolled them and smacked the other lightly on the head.

"How is Gohan supposed to know, _baka_," he snapped. "Ask the weird lady staring at us." Alanna blinked at the mention of her, then scowled. Her eyes met those of the strangest of the group, a tall...creature with green skin and obsidian eyes, wearing a turban and a cape. He smirked, as if sensing her annoyance at being referred to as "weird." The one she figured was Gohan sighed. He looked like the young one who had first spoken, although his hair did not quite defy gravity as the little one's did.

"Trunks, quit being rude," he ordered. The lavender-haired one scowled darkly, crossing his arms, but Alanna noticed that he kept quiet.

"Uh, I'm Son Gohan," the older boy continued, offering his hand.

"Alanna," she said, finally finding her voice, and shaking the offered hand. He looked at his companions, and pointed to them in turn. "That's my brother Goten, his best friend Trunks, and my sensei, Piccolo. I don't know them . . ." His voice trailed off as everyone looked at the dazed pair. The older was a boy, with dark, curly hair and jade-green eyes. Alanna noticed admiringly that he had positioned himself slightly in front of his companion, a young girl with large oval eyes, characteristic of the Yamani. 

"I'm Briar Moss and this is Evumeimei," he said after a moment. "Or Evvy."

"Well," Alanna blinked. "Welcome to Tortall . . .I guess. And to answer your question, little one," she continued, smiling at Goten, "You are in the King's castle, in Coris, the capital of Tortall."

"But how did we get here?" Gohan asked, looking around. She shook her head in answer. "You know as much as I do."

"I've never heard of Tortall," Trunks muttered, eying Alanna suspiciously. "And what King?"

"Trunks . . ." Gohan hissed warningly.

Alanna smiled. "Well, with the way you showed up, I'm not surprised. And it's King Jonathan. Speaking of which, with these unusual circumstances, I'm sure he wants to meet you." She eyed the silent one called Piccole, who met them, face expressionless. "It would probably be better if you waited here. While there are some unusual beings in Tortall, you are not quite like the immortals I have seen."

Briar looked at his also with a strange look on his face. Piccolo, feeling the eyes on him, turned his head to look at him.

"Something wrong, _human_," he growled. Briar blinked, then shook his head. 

"I dunno, you feel . . .familiar," he answered. Evvy eyed him as well. "He feels like a rock killer," she announced suddenly. Briar seemed surprised, then a calculating look came over his face.

"You're right, Evvy," he said, tapping his chin. "I can feel him, like I can feel plants."

It was Piccolo's turn to look startled, then he scowled.

"My people are a type of sentient plant," he informed them. Then he glowered at Evvy. "But I am _not _a rock killer." He grinned, showing sharp fangs. "I prefer humans." She yelped and his behind Briar.

"Sensei," Gohan complained. "You're being as bad as Trunks." Piccolo scowled at this comment, but kept quiet.

"Uh . . ." Alanna broke in. "What do you mean "feel plants?" And how can you kill a rock?"

Before anyone could answer, a knock came at the door.

"Alanna?" a male voice came through. "It's Numair and Daine. She says she can feel something . . . part animalistic . . . coming from in there. Is everything all right?"

Alanna turned back to the group with a raised eyebrow.

"Sentient plants _and_ animals?"

Please review, tell me if you like it, or if you don't...and why....i LOVE reviews!!!!!!!!


	3. Chapter Two

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

Author's Note: Hi, this is Rosethorn...to answer your question, gimeGohan, a rock killer is in reference to a plant. Sometimes, plants will take root in the cracks in stones and rocks, causing the rock to break up. For those of you who don't read Tamora Pierce, Evvy is a stone mage, and Briar is a plant mage, meaning they have power with stones and plants. Briar also has a bit of earth magic in him, from his bond with his foster sister, Tris. They and two others, Daja and Sandry, were connected and can talk telepathically within a certain range. Obviously, with the cross of dimensions, they cannot, but the earth magic from Tris helps him to be able to know what Evvy is feeling {earth and stone are kinda connected} and if she is in danger or whatever. Anyway, enough rambling…{just ask if you have more questions!}

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Before anyone could answer, a knock came at the door.

"Alanna?" a male voice came through. "It's Numair and Daine. She says she can feel something . . . part animalistic . . . coming from in there. Is everything all right?"

Alanna turned back to the group with a raised eyebrow.

"Sentient plants _and_ animals?"

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Chapter Two:

Gohan shrugged and grinned timidly. "Well, I guess you could say we are kinda animalistic," he admitted. "We were born with tails, and when we have them, we can turn into giant monkey things under a full moon." Alanna stared for a moment, and then shook her head wonderingly. 

"Truly, you are an amazing group of...visitors." She pulled open the large oak door with ease to admit a tall man with black hair and stunning blue eyes. A shorter girl stood beside him, brown hair wildly trying to escape form the loose ponytail she had it in. The man, Numair, raised an eyebrow at the group, especially Piccolo.

"Uh, Lioness…"

"Numair, Daine," Alanna smiled. "Meet Gohan, Goten, Piccolo, Trunks, Briar Moss, and Evumeimei. Evvy." She corrected herself on the last name. The Namek noticed that she still seemed in a bit of shock.

__

Stupid humans.

"Uh-huh. And how did they get here? Are they from the other realm?" Daine asked, eyeing Piccolo a bit apprehensively. He noticed, and, because he was bored, bared his fangs in an evil grin at her. Although his expression did not change, he almost burst out in laughter as the male one moved to stand in front of her protectively. He also noticed with interest that she did not appreciate this movement, as she was glaring at the back of his head.

"I don't know. But I do know they are not from the realm of the gods. They have never heard of Tortall."

"Realm of the gods?" Goten asked curiously. "What is that?"

Numair raised an eyebrow at him. "Surely you have gods." The young demi-Saiyan considered this thoughtfully.

"Well, I guess Dende is. Right, Ani-san?" He looked up at his big brother who smiled down at him. "That's right."

Now all of them, including Briar and Evvy were gaping at them. Trunks scowled.

"Is there a problem, weaklings?" he growled.

"Only _one_?" Alanna managed. The four exchanged confused glances. "Well, only one on our planet. That we know." Gohan answered slowly. "Although Otou-san knows more…from when he died. He told me about some of them, the ones who trained him before he-- What?" The last was asked in extreme confusion as they now gaped at him openly.

"You speak with the dead?" Daine asked.

"Uh, no."

"But you just said that your father died."

"Uh-huh…"

"And you talked to him."

"Yeah. You generally do talk to your parents."

"And he speaks back."

"Well, of course, I'm his son!" Gohan was getting exasperated. Suddenly, Piccolo burst out laughing. The other three stared at him in stunned silence.

"Uh, Sensei?" Gohan said timidly after a moment.

"Sometimes," Piccolo began, still chuckling, "You act just as stupid as your baka father." He shook his head. "They obviously cannot know about the dragon balls, idiot." Gohan blinked, then rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah…" Trunks, who was getting irritated and hungry, broke in.

"Kakkarot, their father, was revived. He is no longer dead."

"Goku." Goten muttered, then snapped his mouth shut as his best friend glared at him. "I don't _care_ what that third-class warrior is called. But I am hungry," he snapped, then turned on Alanna. "Get me some food, woman." 

She raised an eyebrow at his impertinence. "_Excuse me?!?_" Evvy stared wide-eyed at the young lavender-haired boy. She would never dare speak to an adult that way, even if she was no longer a slave or a street rat. Even if she was a mage. From Briar's face, she knew he was surprised also.

"You heard me, woman. Don't make me repeat myself," he growled. Gohan shook his head and rubbed his forehead. This kid was acting just like his father. Like a prince. No change that. A Saiyan prince.

Alanna felt her mouth drop open at this response. He had a lot of nerve. She was uncomfortably aware that Numair and Daine were looking on with interest.

"And if I don't," she asked, crossing her arms. She knew it was probably childish, but she didn't care. How _dare_ this brat order her around?

He looked at her coldly, the look in his crystalline blue eyes giving her chills down her spine.

"I'll blast you into the Death Zone," he answered calmly. "Then you can meet all the gods you want." The last was said with a feral grin, showing his teeth, his sharp incisors. 

"Trunks, no one is going to blast anyone. Now calm down," Gohan ordered firmly. "Sorry about that," he said apologetically to Alanna. "He gets this way when he doesn't get his food. You should have seen him when his mother wouldn't feed him for three days after he blew up the living room. Heh heh." He noticed her expression. "Anyway, don't worry. I'll keep him under control."

Trunks scowled, but knew he could do nothing about it. But he could give his opinion.

"Hmph. I am a prince. _Your_ prince," he growled at the older boy. "The wench should be privileged that I consider her worthy to serve me."

Alanna felt her jaw go slack at his audacity. Why, that little-

"Oh, I wasn't aware we had visiting royalty," a deep voice came from the doorway. The man standing there smiled at their surprise. Well, everyone was surprised except Piccolo. He had sensed him long ago. "And to whom do I have the pleasure of addressing, young Prince?"

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Just to clarify-

Otou-san: Father

Ani-san: Older Brother {when you are speaking to or referring to your own. When you are talking about someone else's older brother, it is oni-san}

Baka: who doesn't know? Haha, it is something to the rough translation of idiot.


	4. Chapter Three

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

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Trunks scowled, but knew he could do nothing about it. But he could give his opinion.

"Hmph. I am a prince. _Your_ prince," he growled at the older boy. "The wench should be privileged that I consider her worthy to serve me."

Alanna felt her jaw go slack at his audacity. Why, that little-

"Oh, I wasn't aware we had visiting royalty," a deep voice came from the doorway. The man standing there smiled at their surprise. Well, everyone was surprised except Piccolo. He had sensed him long ago. "And to whom do I have the pleasure of addressing, young Prince?"

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Chapter Three:

"King Jonathan!" Alanna winced, a bit embarrassed that he had heard. He smiled at her, a sparkle in his bright blue eyes, then looked back down at Trunks. The lavender-haired boy smirked.

"I am Trunks, Prince of the Saiyans," he announced. Gohan rolled his eyes. He sounded exactly like Vegeta. Like father, like son. Piccolo couldn't help but find it funny that the little brat could rile that lady with the violet eyes so much. _Saiyan royalty did that to people_, he mused.

"Well, young Prince," King Jonathan said genially. "Let me show you and your friends some quarters where you can stay. Will you introduce us?" Trunks looked at the others almost degradingly, then in bored tones introduced them.

"That's Piccolo. Gohan, and my best friend Goten, from the house of Kakkarot. They are Saiyans, but Piccolo is Namek." His gaze fell on Evvy and Briar, and he studied them. "I don't know them," he finished after a moment. "Briar Moss and Evumeimei, or Evvy," Alanna supplied. The King bowed slightly, in a gesture that included them all, then studied Piccolo. "Namek…hmmm." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Well, follow me, if you will, and I will guide you to your rooms that you may stay in for as long as you are with us." He turned to Alanna. "We will speak later, Lioness." She bowed as he left, and she, Numair, and Daine looked at each other.

"Well, that was interesting . . ." Daine commented.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You two can stay in here," Jonathan told the two chibi demi-Saiyans, opening a door. Trunks entered, and studied it. It was simple, yet elegant. There was a large canopy bed, with dark blue bedding, and a mahogany dresser. Tapestries of bright colors depicting different battle scenes against human enemies and immortals alike hung in various places around the room. A large ornate chest lay at the foot of the bed, and an empty fireplace stood in one corner. Jonathan looked at the fireplace.

"I'll send someone up to tend to that," he told them. Trunks looked at the wood stacked in it, and shook his head, knowing that a small ki blast would have it going in seconds. "Don't bother."

The king of Tortall blinked, then nodded with a slight smile. "Ok, but I'll still send someone up to get you for dinner. I believe you said you were hungry." They nodded, and he left the two, motioning for the others to follow. He gave Gohan a room across the hall from the chibis and Piccolo a room next to him. Evvy got a room next to the Trunks' and Goten's, and Briar a room next to hers.

"Thank you," he told the king as he was leaving. The king smiled down at him. "You're welcome. See you at dinner."

-+-+-+-+-+-

"Briar, I don't like being in a palace," Evvy hissed nervously. It was several moments after King Jonathan had left, and the two were sitting in her room. Briar sighed. 

"I know, Evvy, I don't like it much either, but it's not as if they know you were a runaway slave. I've never even heard of Tortall, so I don't think they have ever heard of Summersea, or Sotat, or anything." He looked down at his colorful hands, at the twisting tattoo of vines and bright gaudy yellow and blue flowers. "And they can't know I am a former thief. We're mages now anyway," he reassured her. "That stuff doesn't matter anymore. We're protected by Winding Circle."

"But if we haven't heard of Tortall, and they don't know about our land, then how can Rosethorn or anyone at Winding Circle help us. They don't know where we are. And they probably haven't even _heard_ of Winding Circle." Briar ran his fingers through his dark, tight curls. 

"Well, if it comes to the worst, we can protect ourselves."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About half an hour later they were eating in a large room, filled with people. Piccolo had opted to stay and meditate in his room, asking only for some water, which was brought up in a large pitcher by a rather nervous maid. He ignored her, figuring that if he showed that he noticed her, it would frighten her more, and sat on the stone floor, legs crossed and eyes closed in his meditation. Only when she left did he levitate into his normal position, guessing correctly that to see a foreign creature hovering in the air would not help things. He was in a rather good mood, and did not feel like causing trouble. {O_^} The others were led into a large eating hall, that seemed to be filled with people, from age ranges of 10 and older. Trunks, Goten, and Gohan winced at the extreme noise level of the room, an gradually got used to it, although at times it grew, causing their sensitive ears to ring. Gohan was beginning to see the wisdom of Piccolo's actions, when a particularly loud noise rang through the air, followed by rambunctious laughter. Evvy and Briar were a bit uncomfortably around so many people, but tried not to show they were nervous as they went through a line with their trays and followed the other three to an empty spot at one of the large tables. They were met by curious looks, but basically indifference. Gohan whispered in a tone he knew only the sensitive ears of his brother and Trunks would pick up.

"Don't eat like we do at home," he warned. "We don't want to seem to out of place. I'll take you two hunting later for a decent meal." The two looked at him and nodded slightly, although Trunks did so with a scowl, and they began to eat. For Trunks it wasn't much of a problem to keep neat, as Vegeta had made him do so, saying that it was unbecoming of a Saiyan prince to eat like third-class warriors, but Gohan and Goten had to make visible effort not to wolf down their food at a fast rate. Especially Goten, as Gohan had some practice at school. They had all finished eating, and were wondering what to do, when Numair suddenly appeared behind them. He smiled at them, then gave pointed looks to some of the boys around them that had stopped eating and talking to stare. They hurriedly went back to whatever they were doing and the tall man smiled at the group.

"Take your trays over there," he informed them, pointing, "and follow me, please." They complied and he led them out of the room and up several flights of stairs. He finally came to a room and they entered, to see Daine sitting at the table with a small animal in her lap. Goten's eyes lit up.

"Hey! It's a baby dragon!" he exclaimed. The dragon slid off Daine's lap and whistled at the boy as it came for a closer look. Briar blinked in surprise, and Evvy felt herself slide behind him slightly. He gave her a reassuring look, but she didn't move away.

"Her name is Skysong," Daine told them, "But everyone calls her Kitten." Trunks looked at the dragon and frowned.

"She doesn't look like Shenlong," he stated. Gohan studied her also. "You're right, Trunks. Or Porunga, for that matter. But there are similarities." Numair interrupted them.

"Who is Shenlong and Porunga," he asked with interest. The three demi-Saiyans exchanged looks. _How were they going to explain this one_?

PLEASE REVIEW!!!I LOVE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!


	5. Chapter Four

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N- Hey, Lexi, thanks for the capsule idea…I was kinda thinking about it, but I wasn't sure…hehehe, don't be surprised if Trunks ends up having some to use for pranks…

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"Her name is Skysong," Daine told them, "But everyone calls her Kitten." Trunks looked at the dragon and frowned.

"She doesn't look like Shenlong," he stated. Gohan studied her also. "You're right, Trunks. Or Porunga, for that matter. But there are similarities." Numair interrupted them.

"Who is Shenlong and Porunga," he asked with interest. The three demi-Saiyans exchanged looks. _How were they going to explain this one_?

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Chapter Four: 

Before they had time to think up a way to explain, Briar cut in.

"That is a dragon." The others looked at him, with "duh!" expressions on their faces. He met their gaze steadily with his own jade-green eyes, and crossed his arms, while Evvy peeked around him to stare wide-eyed at Kitten.

"Dragons are not real. They exist only in stories." Trunks rolled his eyes. "Puh-_lease_!" he said scathingly. "Don't be so stupid. If they only existed in stories, would there be one sitting in front of you?" Gohan glared at the young boy, who snapped him mouth shut angrily. Daine smiled kindly at Briar and Evvy.

"Don't feel bad," she told him. "I didn't really believe they were real before I saw one either. They usually don't live in this realm." Gohan frowned in remembrance. "Speaking of realms, we never got that whole realm of the gods issue settled," he reminded Numair. The man looked startled for a moment, then nodded, remembering.

"That's right, you said you only had one god." Goten frowned. "We don't only have _one_," he said defensively. "Just one that we know and actually ask thing for and stuff." A look of frustrated anger contorted his features. "Although most of time he is either making my life miserable, or begging for me to spare his life." Numair, Daine, and even Briar and Evvy's eyes bugged out.

"Your _god_ begs for his life? How is it possible for you to even threaten him?" Gohan blinked at them then sighed. "It's complicated." Numair nodded uncertainly.

"Uh-huh…anyway, the realm of the gods is where all the gods dwell. It is possible for them to breach the barrier, although the lesser gods can only do so on holidays, and the greater ones generally have no desire to."

Suddenly, Skysong's sharp whistle pierced the air. The three demi-Saiyans winced at the ear-splitting sound. Daine looked at her for a moment, then nodded, turning back to the group.

"So what is this…'Porunga' and 'Shenlong?'" she asked. Gohan sighed yet again. He had been hoping they would forget that little detail. And the one Briar brought up. "And how can your father have died, and yet come back to life?" Gohan rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. Before he could speak, Trunks cut in.

"Porunga and Shenlong are dragons, Shenlong of our planet, and Porunga of the planet Namek where Piccolo is from. There are seven dragon balls on each planet for its respective dragon and they carry a portion of the dragon's spirit within. When the balls are gathered in one spot, you can summon the dragon and have a wish. With Shenlong, it is two wishes, but if you summon Porunga, you get three." Everyone blinked, surprised at the fairly intelligent and civil speech that had emitted from the young Prince's mouth. He noticed and glared. "What are you looking at?" he growled threateningly. Numair exchanged glances with Daine, and back at the three. 

"Right," he declared after a moment. "Well, let's get on with why I asked you to come on up. I wish to test each of you with the Gift, and do some other experiments."

None of them had a clue what he was talking about.

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A/N- Sorry, I know this is really short, but that is all I had time for…I've been kinda busy lately, with my mom gone and all for a month, and with four little sibs to take care of, but anyway, enough about my personal life: - ) heehee

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PLEASE REVIEW!!! THANX FOR ALL OF THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN DOING SO!!!! * gives them all hugs and kisses* I LOVE YOU ALL!! ;) 


	6. Chapter Five

When Earth Arises

Rosethorn - Thank you ppl who pointed out my mistake to me….you are right…I'm not stupid really…heehhe, well, that is a matter of opinion. Anyway, I corrected it ^_^

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

=============================

"Right," he declared after a moment. "Well, let's get on with why I asked you to come on up. I wish to test each of you with the Gift, and do some other experiments."

None of them had a clue what he was talking about.

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Chapter Five:

"Ok," Numair said, "Just hold still."

"What is the Gift?" Briar asked warily. He and Evvy still had not adjusted to the fact that they lived in a castle, had met the king, and no one had thought to ask if they had any sort of criminal record. Or else they did not care. Numair looked startled, then realized that they must not have heard of the Gift.

"It's, well, magic," he said after a moment. "I have the Gift, but Daine has Wild Magic. Her magic is associated with animals, and she can shape-shift to take almost any animal form." 

"Oh," Briar said, relieved that there _were_ some similarities between Emelan and Tortall. "So what is your magic associated with?" Daine and Numair looked at each other in confusion. "It isn't…It's the Gift. Theoretically, I can do anything if I have the right spell." It was Briar and Evvy's turn to exchange confused glances. "Oh. Well, you don't have to test us then. I am a plant mage. Evvy is a stone mage and my student. My magic deals with plant and Evvy's deals with stones." Numair, being the man he was, was utterly intrigued.

"Really? Do you think that sometime you might sho-"

"Numair." Daine's soft voice cut him off. He looked at her, then to where she was looking. He was startled at the look of hostility the three were giving him.

"Uh, is something wrong?" {this is set during the World Tournament saga and Babidi saga, from the Z fighters point of view, by the way . . . so they have a bit of problem with wizards and such} Gohan had instinctively put himself between the others and the chibis. Although he looked relaxed, Goten and Trunks could tell he was ready to move at a moment's notice. They could even sense a rise in his ki, and they followed suit, bringing theirs to a point just under turning super.

"Are you a wizard?" Gohan practically hissed. The other four were again startled at this, as Gohan normally seemed so docile. When the two little ones heard the question, they realized why Gohan was powering up. Especially Trunks. He remembered vividly his father, and the control Babidi had held over him. Majin Vegeta. He shuddered.

"Um…I am a mage," Numair said. He did not even know what a wizard was, but it seemed that the problem was magic in general. "What is a wizard?"

Gohan eyed him warily. "You don't know?" 

Trunks interrupted, surprising everyone again, surprisingly calm. "Excuse us, if we seem hostile, but a wizard is a man who uses magic. We don't like wizards. One took over my father's body and mind, and made him fight Goten's father. He does that anyway, but this time he was really trying to kill him." Gohan nodded, after getting over his shock at Trunks' bland words. It took him a moment, but then he realized that the young boy was being sarcastic.

"This wizard, Babadi, is trying to take over our world. So, as I'm sure you can understand, we have a bit of a problem with magic and those who use it." 

"Well, yes, I do," Numair reassured them, "And I'll have to admit, there are those here who misuse magic, but I assure you that no one here in the palace will threaten you." His next words were said without pride, just stated as fact. "I am one of the most powerful mages in this world. No one will harm you."

Trunks crossed his arms as the three let their power fall. "That is assuming that they _can_." Daine and Numair looked surprised again. "Well, there are some really powerful mages out there," Numair began to say, but Gohan cut him off, with a pained look.

"We are not defenseless. Excuse me, but we need to go. I have to find Piccolo, and then I promised my brother and Trunks I would take them hunting."

Daine and Numair rose. "Oh, if that is what you want to do. Daine can show you where to find horses and weapons, and I'm sure that there is someone who would be willing to take you out." Gohan wrinkled his brow. _Horses_?

"Uh, no thanks on the horses and weapons. We'll be fine." Numair looked reluctant. "Are you sure? There are still immortals roaming about the woods."

"Immortals?" Gohan said nervously. "As in, they don't die?" "Well, they don't die by natural causes. They can be killed though," Daine said. "Oh." Gohan looked at the dynamic duo, relieved. "Well, come on," he said. They left, and Numair looked at Briar and Evvy. "Would you two mind staying for a bit. I would love to study your magic if I may. It sounds fascinating."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo opened his eyes and was waiting when the three demi-Saiyans entered his room. "Hey, Sensei, I'm gonna take these two hunting," Gohan explained. "There is no way that they will be able to keep us fed. Want to come?" Piccolo thought about it, then shook his head, grinning to himself. "No, go ahead, kid. Be careful. You don't know what this world is like." Gohan nodded, and started to leave.

"Sensei." He stopped, and looked back at the hovering Namek. "There are wizards, or people like wizards here. Keep an eye open."

  
~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo waited until he felt the three powerful kis draw far into the woods, then walked out the door. Since they were flying, they had left through the window, and Piccolo decided that it was time to have a look around. He had left his turban behind {*gasp* O_^}, but his cape swirled behind him as he strode through the corridors. He wandered, nobody bothering him, although he got a lot of fearful and curious looks. Finally, he emerged into an open courtyard were he saw a group of humans practicing with strange sticks he figured were spears. He observed them for a while, until one of the adult humans moved up beside him.

"Hello. I am the Shang Wildcat. My name is Eda Bell. You must be one of the Lioness's visitors. Piccolo vaguely remembered the female with the red hair and violet eyes being called the Lioness several times, and he gave a short nod, not taking his eyes off of the pages. _What were they doing_? It kind of resembled fighting, but they were going about it strangely. His eyes fell on one of the smaller humans. He realized from her scent that she was a female. The only one among the younger humans. The Shang Wildcat followed his gaze and smile when she saw where it was.

"That is Kel," She explained, thinking that he was wondering why there was a girl fighting, when in truth it was that he was wondering why she was the only one. "Woman are allowed to become knights now, since the Lioness, but she is the first to try." Piccolo watched as she seemed to have trouble with the spear. It seemed that at times she was trying to swing it, rather than thrusting or blocking like the others. _As if she had a glaive_. 

"She is used to glaives," he commented. For him, that was a long sentence. The Wildcat looked surprised, then nodded. "Yes, she studied with the Yamani before, when her father was the ambassador there." Piccolo suddenly moved forward and beside Kel. She jumped, then stared at him wide-eyed.

"You are holding that wrong," he said quietly, and adjusted her hands on the spear. "It is a spear. Not a glaive." Kel looked startled, almost scared for a moment, then embarrassed. "I know," she confessed, looking frustrated. "I always forget." Piccolo studied her for a moment, then walked in front of her.

"Maybe you need a real opponent," he said. _Why am I doing this?_ "Try those moves again, but on me." She looked uncertain, then complied. It did seem to help. A little. When she started to swing it, Piccolo moved swiftly and struck her with his hand. Just hard enough to knock her down and sting a bit. She shook her head as if to clear it, then climbed to her feet. Piccolo was waiting, arms crossed.

"Do not swing!" he ordered. She nodded then tried it again. Piccolo tensed as she raised it, knowing what was going to happens. She thrust the spear forward and it sank deep into the Namek's stomach.

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Hahahahaha….I love me.

REVIEW!!!!! { and I'll love you too ^_^}


	7. Chapter Six

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

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"Do not swing!" he ordered. She nodded then tried it again. Piccolo tensed as she raised it, knowing what was going to happens. She thrust the spear forward and it sank deep into the Namek's stomach.

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Chapter Six:

Numair, Daine, Briar and Evvy had been discussing the differences in their magics for about an hour. Actually, Evvy wasn't really doing much but playing with Kitten. Suddenly, Numair looked down at Briar's tattooed hands and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are those tattoos moving?" he asked. Briar grinned and spread his fingers out so as to get a better look at them. The bright red and blue flowers slowly faded to become small purple roses that dotted the now thorny vines. 

"I used vegetable dyes," he explained. "But since my magic is plant magic, it affected the dye and got away from me. Now it has a life of its own." Daine leaned forward to get a closer look.

"But why did you dye them in the first place?" she asked. Evvy froze and stared at Briar with wide eyes. Briar said nothing for a moment, thinking. Numair and Daine had been really kind, and he didn't want to lie to them. But if he told the truth… Finally he decided that when it came to his former life as a street rat, it didn't matter much. But Evvy…They must never know about her. 

Suddenly, he realized that they were looking at him expectantly. Inwardly tense, he answered. "I used to be in a gang called the Lightnings," he said. "We got caught stealing twice, and they tattooed an 'X' on each hand." He pointed out the area on the web of skin between the thumb and first finger. "Then I got caught a third time, and was sentenced to work at the docks. But then Niko, one of my teachers, you know, the one who sees visions and stuff. Anyway, he found me after having a vision about a boy with plant magic. He took me back to Winding Circle, and," Briar shrugged, then grinned again. "Then they made me respectable-like." Daine smiled back at him.

"You should meet the Lioness's husband," she told him. "George was the Prince of the Thieves' Guild here in Corus. Briar and Evvy looked at the two in shock.

"But you said before that the Lioness's husband was some kind of noble!" Briar exclaimed. Numair nodded with a smile.

"That's right," he said cheerfully. "George was extremely instrumental in helping to save Tortall several years ago from a rather nasty mage. Then, he married Alanna and King Roald died. Jonathan became king and gave him Pirate's Sweep." He gave Evvy a thoughtful look, who was staring at the group with dark solemn eyes, while stroking Kitten. "We have several former slaves here as well. One of them is in the army, a sergeant. They escape and come here for refuge." Briar frowned, confused. "Why here?"

"Slavery is illegal in Tortall," Daine explained. Evvy and Briar exchanged looks, then she spoke up hesitantly.

"I was a slave. Then I escaped and Briar found me." Numair gave her a look of sadness. "You, my dear, are much too young to have experienced such evil. Were you born into it?" He prayed silently, hoping that she was, for to have known a happy family, and to have been made a slave… 

She shook her head, her dark curls flopping. "My parents sold me." Daine choked on the mouthful of juice she had just taken and Numair stared at her. She looked down, uncomfortable with their stares. Briar broke in.

"It don't matter now," he said, forgetting his grammar momentarily. "Evvy ain't going to be no slave, she's a mage and my student."

"It _doesn't _matter, and she _isn't_ going to be," Numair said distractedly. He suddenly got up and left the room. The two blinked with his sudden disappearance, and Daine smiled at them after an indulgent smile after her lover.

"Don't worry about it," she said to their questioning looks. "Numair is like that."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kel gasped as she felt the spear sink into the strange green-skinned being's stomach. She had expected him to dodge. Everyone stood frozen, staring at them. Tears sprang to her eyes and she dropped her hold on the spear.

"I'm sorry," she tried to choke out. Piccolo just looked at her. "Now you got it," he said calmly. He grasped the spear and yanked it from his body with a quick pull. The Shang Wildcat moved up beside him, getting over her shock.

"Come on," she said. "I'll help you to the healers." Piccolo gave her a strange look. "Why?" Suddenly, he turned on Kel, a look of annoyance on his face. "Girl, stop that crying!" he ordered. Kel, shocked, obeyed and wiped her eyes. His face seemed to soften for just an instant and he sighed.

"I'm all right," he told her gruffly. "I let you do that on purpose, so that you would have the right feel. If you made that kind of mistake you did the first time in real battle, you might not get a second. When a spear is swung like a glaive, it looses its effectiveness. A glaive has a large blade that serves as a defense as well as a weapon. A spear, however, does not and that kind of an attack leaves you vulnerable." Suddenly, as if he just realized that he actually said more than five words at once, he snapped his mouth shut. Kel stared at him then nodded uncertainly.

"Are you sure you're all right," she said in a low voice, still a bit upset. He sighed inwardly and lifted the top of his gi slightly. His stomach was completely unmarked. Just as he dropped it, he was hit by two demi-Saiyan cannonballs.

"PICCOLOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

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Review and I'll give you a cookie!


	8. Chapter Seven

When Earth Arises  
  
Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway  
  
I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Heeheehee! A cookie for wild-filly! And don't worry, it's not laced with rat poison.J I don't like rats, though…are you a rat? Hahaha, anyway….{no matter what my best friend says, I am not crazy. Insane maybe, but definitely not crazy.} Anyway, COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!!!!* sets out a plate of chocolate chip cookies* Now don't fight, children.  
  
By the way, gimeGohan, it wouldn't have been any fun for Piccolo if he told her he could regenerate himselfJ   
  
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Kel stared at him then nodded uncertainly.  
  
"Are you sure you're all right," she said in a low voice, still a bit upset. He sighed inwardly and lifted the top of his gi slightly. His stomach was completely unmarked. Just as he dropped it, he was hit by two demi-Saiyan cannonballs.  
  
"PICCOLOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
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Chapter Seven:  
  
Startled, Piccolo nearly fell over. When he regained his balance, he glared at the demonic duo. "What the hell are you doing?" he growled. The two were clinging to his arms and quivering with fear. The large energy signature that stated an angry Gohan was answer enough. Especially when the sixteen year old landed in front of him, features contorted with fury. The two little ones just cowered behind the now amused Namek.  
  
"Get out of the way, Piccolo," Gohan growled. His sensei simply looked at him, a barely contained grin tugging at his mouth. "Why?" he asked, arrogantly, wanting to see how far he could push the boy. Well, maybe just how far before he felt his life might be in serious danger. Not that he would ever admit the boy's strength out loud.   
  
Gohan growled again. Suddenly, he realized they had an audience. He looked around. A girl with shortish brown hair and eyes was standing near them, a bloodied spear at her feet. His sensitive nose picked up the scent as it was wafted toward him with the wind. His eyes widened in shock as he focused on the blood. It was Piccolo's. He spun around to face his sensei again, who was smirking at him, the two demi-Saiyans still attached to his back.  
  
"What happened?" Gohan asked, forgetting the two for the moment. Piccolo shrugged. "The girl needed experience using a spear. Get the feel of using it on an actual opponent. You of all people should know that my policy is experience is the best teacher." Gohan winced, remembering the rough tactics his sensei had used when he was a child. Not exactly pleasant memories.  
  
"Whatever," he shrugged. All of the sudden, his eyes caught a movement. He whipped his head around in time to see his brother and Trunks disappear around the corner. He shook his head, not bothering to pursue. He knew he should be used to them by now, really, but when they had said that… Piccolo broke into his thoughts.  
  
"Why were you hunting them?" he asked in a deadpan voice, knowing full well how the two tended to get themselves into trouble, especially with Gohan. "I thought you were looking for food. I don't think those two would make a very good meal."  
  
Gohan gaped. Had his ever stoic sensei just made a joke. Piccolo smacked him, knocking him against the stone wall of the courtyard and bringing him back into reality. "Stop staring at me, boy," the Namek growled. Gohan grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"Uh…right. Anyway, as for those two…" His voice trailed off, and his cheeks tinged with a rosy color. "Uh, I'd rather not say…" Piccolo's smirk widened as the boy climbed to his feet. "It wouldn't have to do with a certain young lady who just happens to be the daughter of the most pompous man on Earth, would it?" As an afterthought, he added, "And that is saying something, considering Vegeta lives there now."  
  
The blush on Gohan's cheeks deepened. Before he could think of an answer, King Jonathan strode into the courtyard. Everyone around them bowed, according to their rank, as he made his way to the pair. His eyes fell on the streak of blood on Gohan's cheek, caused by the Namek's sharp nails. "Are you alright, Gohan?" he asked. Gohan nodded, not having noticed it before. He wiped his cheek of the blood, and the King was surprised to see it was already starting to heal. Well, just one more of the unusual things the strange visitors could do. "Well, if you are sure, I would like to speak with all of you." He looked around, a smile hovering about his lips. "And where is our young Prince?" Gohan gave an uncharacteristically feral grin. "Probably running for his life with my brother," he announced. "I'll go get them." Piccolo shook his head in mock sadness as he took to air. "Too bad," he told the King, who looked at him in surprise. The Namek had not shown any inclination to speak when they had first met. "It was nice knowing them."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Briar and Evvy were waiting patiently in the library where they had first shown up. Alanna the Lioness, Numair, and Daine where there also, standing with a large, burly man they had introduced as Sir Raoul. Piccolo and the King entered, followed seconds later by Gohan who held Goten and Trunks by one of their feet in the air. Goten was struggling, but Trunks looked ready to kill. "LET ME DOWN, YOU THIRD-CLASS BAKA!!!!" he yelled. The older boy simply raised an eyebrow, then, without warning, dropped the two on their heads.  
  
"Oww…" Goten and Trunks sat up, rubbing their heads.   
  
"A third-class baka who could kick your ass without even trying," he stated calmly, crossing his arms. He turned his attention to the amused and slightly concerned audience. Well, Sir Raoul and the King were concerned. Alanna thought they deserved it, well, at least the lavender-haired one, and Piccolo knew Gohan would never intentionally hurt the two.  
  
Trunks scowled darkly at his back. Hmph.  
  
"Well, we're here," Gohan said, as if nothing unusual had just occurred. Well, it did occur to him what his mother would say if she saw what had just happened, but he pushed that out of his mind. No use bothering with such thought. Chi-chi wasn't here, so what she didn't know couldn't hurt him. Or, rather, his skull.  
  
"Hm, yes," the king said after a moment. "I had an idea a while ago, that since you are here, maybe you can help me out. We have been having trouble with immortals lately, and there is rumors of a rebellion, led by estranged civilians in the northern section of Tortall."  
  
"What civians?" Goten interrupted.   
  
Jonathan blinked. "Uh, people banished from Tortall for previous crimes," he amended.   
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
"What the-?!?!" the group turned to look at Briar who was standing there, a strange look on his face. "How_?!?" he exclaimed to thin air. Before anyone could say anything, a frazzled servant burst through the door.  
  
"My King!" he gasped, panting for breath. "My king, Lioness, there is a girl-she-"   
  
"Hey, slow down, take a few breaths," Numair advised, handing the servant a glass of something. He nodded and gulped it down.   
  
"My King, there is a girl," he began, more calmly. "She's crazy, she's yelling and throwing lightning and-"  
  
"Throwing lightning?" Numair asked, eyebrow raised. Briar leapt to his feet, and ran out the door.   
  
"TRIS!!!"  
  
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Heeheehee, I just had to bring Tris in…just a warning, if you have not read Shatterglass yet, it might contain some spoilers in later chapters. For those of you not familiar with the Circle of Magic quartet, and the Circle Opens quartet, Trisana Chandler, Tris, is one of Briar's foster sisters. Her magic has to do with lightning and weather, as well as some earth forces. In these books, mages carry around kits, which contain different items used for their magic, or objects that they store their magic in. Tris, however, stores them in her many braids that she has pinned up in certain patterns. The larger ones have earthquake type power, the smaller ones have wind and lightning, and she can tap into them and use whenever necessary, or even use as strength if she is doing something and feels drained. This, however, as unpleasant consequences later, but it is necessary at times. She does not keep rain in her braids, because, as she put it, "…it makes me go all frizzy…" If she gets frizzy, her power can leak out, which would not be fun for anyone…0_^   
  
Did that make sense?  
  
REVIEW!!!! Push de button!   
  
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	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello! Just to let my wonderful readers know, the next chapter will take a while longer to be posted. I was in the middle of typing, and just about to save it, when we had a power outage…I lost the whole thing o_o *sniff* anyway, yeah, just so ya'll know

~Rosethorn


	10. Chapter Eight

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

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"My King!" he gasped, panting for breath. "My king, Lioness, there is a girl-she-" 

"Hey, slow down, take a few breaths," Numair advised, handing the servant a glass of something. He nodded and gulped it down. 

"My King, there is a girl," he began, more calmly. "She's crazy, she's yelling and throwing lightning and-"

"**Throwing** lightning?" Numair asked, eyebrow raised. Briar leapt to his feet, and ran out the door. 

"TRIS!!!"

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Chapter Eight:

Briar dashed down the long hallways and down the long flights of stairs, until he saw the door that led to the courtyard. He could feel the vine that was connected with his foster sister Trisana Chandler thicken. He could also feel it when some of her lightning struck to vines growing on and around the courtyard wall. He let a thought spiral to her through their bond. 

HEY, COPPERCURLS! He could tell she had frozen in spot when the thought reached her.

B-Briar? she asked uncertainly. It's me, Tris he answered a bit more kindly. He could feel the fear and confusion she felt. Settle down, Coppercurls, before Numair decides you're dangerous or something He switched to vocal as he stepped into the waning sunlight.

"Hey, Tris." She was standing in the growing shadows, but rather than hide her, the lightning crackling around her made her look like some avenging goddess of weather, and from the looks on the faces of the people around her, they may have very well thought that was what she was.

"Put that away, will ya?" he asked, as he made his way over to her. "You're scaring people, and hurting me." She looked confused, and he pointed toward the charred greenery. Wincing, she fed the bolts back into her braid, and freed most of the winds. A few whispered softly around her as she made her way to his side. As she stopped in front of him, she looked questioningly behind him. He turned to see that he had been followed. A soft touch at his leg made him look down, and he saw Evvy clutching at his tunic, and staring at Tris with wide, fearful eyes. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then pulled her forward. Evvy came out into Tris's view reluctantly, but stood quietly, eyes averted.

"Tris, this is Evvy, my student," he told her. "Evvy, this is one of my foster sisters, Tris." Tris raised an eyebrow at the word student, and Briar grinned impishly. 

"I found the kid in the markets of Chammuri {is that the name of the city? I forget 0_0}," he informed her. "She was using her magic to polish the stones, but she didn't know she had it. Ran away from me the first time I talked to her."

"Anyone in their right mind _would_ run away from that face, thief," Tris said briskly, making Briar's grin widen. Tris eyed Evvy for a moment, who kept her eyes on the older girl's feet. "Is she always this shy?" Briar placed a comforting hand on his student's shoulder. "She was a slave. Ran away. Then she lived as a street rat, dodging gangs." He raised an eyebrow. "I never thought I would get involved in gang wars again, but those Chammurians…Hmph. Can't take no for an answer." Tris regarded him with a slight scowl. "You have a lot to tell me, thief," she said. "Sure thing, Copperculs," he replied glibly, causing her scowl to deepen for a moment. Then she turned her attention to the others behind him.

"Who are they?" Suddenly, she focused on Piccolo, and her gray eyes widened behind her thin rimmed glasses. "What-?!" Briar laughed, then introduced everyone, pointing as he said their names.

"We're in a place called Tortall. Don't ask how, cuz I don't know. This is King Jonathan, ruler of Tortall, and she is Lady Alanna the Lioness. Lord Raoul, beside her, and that is Numair and Daine. They are mages, like us, except he is more academic." He paused with a thoughtful look. "They don't have ambient mages, except healers, and something called wild magic. That one is what Daine has. Anyway, he's Piccolo, something called a Namek, some kind of sentient plant, and that beside him is Gohan. The two little ones are Goten and Trunks. Trunks is a prince." He looked at the group. "This is my foster sister, Trisana Chandler. She's a weather witch." She smacked him lightly, with a scowl, when he used that term, which just made him grin more. Numair looked at her with intense curiosity. "I would like to talk to you sometime, m'lady," he murmured, in a slightly distracted voice, "If you would be so kind as to let me." Jonathan stepped forward. "Later, Numair," his tone amused. "Right now, why don't we get Lady Trisana settled in." Tris gaped at the "Lady Trisana." 

"It's Tris, if you don't mind, and I'm not a noble, so there is no Lady," she snapped. Jonathan raised an eyebrow, and Briar nudged her quickly. "Be quiet, Tris. He's the King. He can call you whatever he wants." Everyone hid a grin at this, but Tris's face grew indignant.

"I don't care if he's Rosethorn in disguise, he most certainly _cannot_ call me whatever he wants. And if he does call me something I don't like, he feel my displeasure in form of a lightni-" Briar clamped a hand over her mouth and mentally told her to shut up. He then turned to the king, who's mouth was twitching in a suppressed grin.

"Sorry about that, she's a bit forward." Tris jerked her head out from under his hand, and scowled darkly at him, but did not say anything else. Jonathan smiled at her in amusement.

"It's quite all right. If you will excuse me, it's getting late, and I need to make sure Queen Thayet knows I'm still alive, as I have not seen her all day." He turned to Briar. "If your sister does not mind, she may share a room with young Evumeimei. We will resume our meeting on the morrow." With that said, he turned and made his way into the palace. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo slowly made his way toward the room he had been given. He did not really need to sleep, so he figured that he would go meditate. Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up some voices in a corridor up ahead. Moving stealthily, he peered around the corner to see the young girl Kel facing three human males. The first had whitish blonde hair, and a sharp, handsome face. A dark-haired, tan skinned boy stood next to him, and another brown haired male with a cruel hard face. A younger boy about Kel's age was on the ground, surrounded by a bunch of the things humans called books. Piccolo jerked in surprise when the cruel-faced one swung a large fist that connected with Kel's eye. She hit the wall, but to Piccolo's amazement, came up swinging. Her punch missed, but her foot connected with the dark-haired one. The blonde, who seemed to be the leader, moved back and watched as the two attacked the younger girl. The boy on the floor simply gaped at the fighting trio. 

Although Kel put up a good fight, she was clearly being overpowered by the two bigger, and older males. Asking himself why he even bothered, Piccolo moved faster than most eyes could see, and caught a fist belonging to the dark-haired one just before it smashed into Kel's cheekbone. He then proceeded to grab the other one by his shirt and raised them both up off the ground, as he stood at a good 6'4". He threw the two into their leader, and turned to inspect the damage they had done to the female. She had climbed to her feet, and gave him a shaky smile when he met her hazel eyes with his own obsidian ones. She turned to the boy on the floor and jerked with her head. He scrambled to his feet and took off for who knows where. 

"Thanks," she said, turning back to her unusual savior. He simply looked at her, still taking note of her injuries. She was favoring one leg, and her right arm was beginning to show a large ugly looking bruise. Her eye was black, and she had a slight cut on her left cheek.   
"Is it broken?" he said in his rough voice, and motioning toward her leg. She tested it by putting weight on it, then shook her head. "I'll be all right." He regarded her with an expression she could not read, then abruptly turned and disappeared as suddenly as he had come. She in turn, made her way to her own room, and away from the three who were still gaping from their position on the floor. 

Piccolo again, started for his chamber, when Gohan appeared in front of him. He stopped, and scowled, knowing that the boy had seen what had happened, from the smirk on his face.

"Have fun, sensei?" he asked, a smile twitching at his mouth. The Namek scowled, and shoved by him in the narrow hallway.

"Shut up, brat, or you'll be next."

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I UPDATED PEOPLE! *ahem* Well, I guess you already know that, since you just finished reading it… anyway, Valesa, don't worry about Tris and her attitude, and the other people in the story with similar attitudes {or worse} like *coughtheLionessandTrunkscough* It's all part of the story. And there will be other immortals in the story, never fear. As for Skysong's grandparents, hehe, well….let's just say it will be an…interesting…time in the realm of the gods when a certain green skinned, namekian friend of gohan decides to pay mithros and the others a visit…hehheheheheh

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REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!


	11. Chapter Nine

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hehehehhehehe….*sighs happily* time for the other realm, people!!! Dende really does seem to have a death wish in these fanfics, doesn't he?….

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Piccolo again, started for his chamber, when Gohan appeared in front of him. He stopped, and scowled, knowing that the boy had seen what had happened, from the smirk on his face.

"Have fun, sensei?" he asked, a smile twitching at his mouth. The Namek scowled, and shoved by him in the narrow hallway.

"Shut up, brat, or you'll be next."

=========================

Chapter Nine:

Dende stared idly from the top of Kami's tower into the great expanse of the planet called Earth. Suddenly, he felt an angry ki rise, and focused onto its position. He mouth twitched when he realized it was Chi-chi. Goku had materialized beside her when he felt her ki rise, and she was yelling angrily while he tried to calm her down. All of the sudden, Earth's strongest warrior {you really don't want my opinion on this subject, because I personally believe Vegeta is stronger than him….maybe not in body, but he is…never mind o_o} froze. Dende rolled his eyes. It was about time somebody noticed that four of the strongest kis had disappeared. Suddenly, he was aware of a presense behind him, and spun around. Vegeta was standing there, regarding the small Namek with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. _Ok, so maybe someone did notice before Goku_. 

"Where is my brat?" Vegeta asked in a dangerously calm voice. Dende gulped and barely noticed as the other Saiyan appeared beside him. Now he had to explain it all to the irate Saiyan prince…it would have been easier if he had just told Goku, and let him explain to everyone else…the Namek sighed.

"Uh, Trunks, and the others…well, they aren't exactly in this dimension…" his voice trailed off as the look on Vegeta's face darkened. 

"You have exactly two minutes to explain, Namek," he growled, his voice even more calm, a thing which frightened Dende more than anything at the moment. He glanced at Goku, who was standing there with a questioning look._ Great._

"Well, you see, um…in this dimension, there is this guy known as the Dream King…he's kinda like a god to these people that live there. And anyway, he needed them and kind of um…" Dende gulped. "And he used a dimension transporter and brought them to his realm." He finished in a rush. Vegeta stared at the frightened Namek, then suddenly grabbed him by his clothes and lifted him so their eyes were level. When he spoke, his voice was still dangerously quiet.

"You have three days to retrieve them." With that, he let go and disappeared in the direction of Capsule Corps. Dende picked himself up with the assistance from Mr. Popo, and looked at Goku from the corner of his eyes.

"Are they all right?" Goku asked softly. Dende brushed himself off, and finally looked at him in the eyes.

"They're all right," he replied. "Would you like me to go over there and make sure, keep an eye on them? The Dream King is a friend of mine, but I have to go over and explain that he had better get done whatever he needs done in three days. I can stay to keep an eye on them."

Goku bit his lip uncertainly, concern showing in his dark eyes, then nodded. "Yes, that would probably be best. Then when Chi-chi flips out, I can tell her that Kami is watching them." The latter was said with a grin, which Dende returned.

After he disappeared, Dende turned to Mr. Popo. "Keep an eye on the planet, all right? I'll be back in three days." He chuckled. "It's a good thing that Vegeta and Goku don't know that I can bring the four back through _time_, so that they can stay as long as they're needed." Mr. Popo smiled at him.

"Be careful, sir," he warned. Dende bowed, then disappeared.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Dende rematerialized, he had an audience. His eyes were immediately drawn to a dark figure sitting in a black throne, the emblem of a sun behind him. Beside him was a female of silvery beauty who shone in the soft light emitting from the cresent moon above her. He bowed.

"Mithros. Great Mother," he said respectfully. He turned his head slightly to look for his friend. He gave a toothy smile when he saw the Dream King, standing in his ever silence.

"Hello, my friend."

Dende…what are you doing here, my friend? came the reply to his mind, as the Dream King could only speak mind to mind or in dreams. Dende turned to him, unwittingly ignoring the others in the room. Well, maybe not entirely unwittingly. He couldn't care less about them, really.

I promised the father of the two brothers you borrowed from my realm that I would keep an eye on them. And the father of the other young one demands that his son be returned in three days. So I have to be here when their purpose is complete so that I may take them through time. The Dream King smiled and bowed at his explanation.

"Well," Dende announced, looking around. "I'm off. Always wanted to explore this realm. Then I can have a lot to tell the King Kai."

When he had disappeared, the gods minus the Dream King exchanged looks. It was going to be a looong day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello, Piccolo! Piccolo's eyes snapped open out of his meditation in surprise. He scowled when he recognized who the mind voice belonged to.

Dende! What the hell are we doing in this place? He growled. The younger Namek chuckled. Well, you coming wasn't exactly planned, but it was probably for the best, as Goku and Vegeta aren't totally flipping out at their children's disappearance. And to answer your question, it was because assistance is needed in this realm, one that only the three demi-Saiyans may give. Although from what I observed, your assistance is going to prove vital.

Assisting in what? he wanted to know. Dende gave a mental shrug. Ask the Dream King. His ethereal presence faded from Piccolo's mind. Piccolo hissed in anger at the scant explanation. _Ask the Dream King. It would help if he knew who the hell the Dream King was!_

____________________________

Hehehehhe! REVIEW, BY ORDER OF THE DREAM KING!!!!!!!!!!!!


	12. Chapter Ten

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To Milla- I did realize that about the magic….even in the Circle of Magic books, the academic mages specialized in something like weather, or plants and stuff…Numair finds Briar and Evvy's unusual, because they are ambient, and work with the magic already in things, rather than with spells, chants, or enchanted objects…and in Tortall, the "Gift" can be seen…Alanna's is violet, Numair's is black, and Nealan's is green…Briar, Evvy, and everyone else in Emelan's is silver, and can only be seen by certain people, like Niklaren Goldeye, and Tris, who passed it on to her foster sisters and brother…

To gimeGohan-*sniffs disdainfully* Hmph....if the Dream King orders you to do something, ya better! Don't blame _me _when Gainel sends you a nightmare for disobedience…

======================

Hello, Piccolo! Piccolo's eyes snapped open out of his meditation in surprise. He scowled when he recognized who the mind voice belonged to.

Dende! What the hell are we doing in this place? He growled. The younger Namek chuckled. Well, you coming wasn't exactly planned, but it was probably for the best, as Goku and Vegeta aren't totally flipping out at their children's disappearance. And to answer your question, it was because assistance is needed in this realm, one that only the three demi-Saiyans may give. Although from what I observed, your assistance is going to prove vital.

Assisting in what? he wanted to know. Dende gave a mental shrug. Ask the Dream King. His ethereal presence faded from Piccolo's mind. Piccolo hissed in anger at the scant explanation. _Ask the Dream King. It would help if he knew who the hell the Dream King was!_

=======================

Chapter Ten:

Gohan entered his sensei's room cautiously, and was not too surprised to see Piccolo hovering in mid-air, eyes closed in meditation. He glanced out the window, to see the sky still dark, then back at the Namek. Piccolo's eyes suddenly snapped open, and Gohan jumped in surprise.   
"Dende is here," the green skinned creature announced abruptly. Gohan's eyes widened. "Really? Where? And how do you know?" Piccolo lowered himself to the ground, and straightened. 

"He talked to me telepathically last night." He fixed his student with an obsidian eye. "Find out who the Dream King is." Gohan opened his mouth, but Piccolo interrupted, before stalking from the room.

"Don't ask questions, boy, just do it."

Gohan wrinkled his brow, but followed his sensei out the door and went to find the two chibis. He wanted to take them hunting before most people were up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By this time, everything had been explained to Tris and she was somewhat calmed. Well, they explained from what they knew, anyway, which wasn't much. She regarded Evvy with curiosity, but didn't comment when Briar explained briefly the circumstances surrounding their meeting and the events that followed. 

"But why are we here, and how we got here, is unknown," Briar concluded. "Numair, the most powerful mage in Tortall, is trying to figure it out. He is really interested in out magic, too, which they call the Gift, and he says that they don't have ambient mages here. All the mages are academic." He paused. "Do you remember the lady with the violet eyes, and red hair?" Tris thought for a moment.

"And she was wearing the weird metal clothes?" 

Briar nodded. "Her name is Alanna the Lioness, King's Champion. Her husband, Baron George of the Pirate's Swoop, has a mother who has magic, like Sandry's, except it's academic, and she uses it in healing a lot." He wrinkled his nose. "They can heal here, I mean, without the medicines that Rosethorn and I use. Just with this 'Gift.' I'll take my medicine any day."

"I wouldn't," Evvy quipped. "All of your nasty rock-killing stuff stinks!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Goten swooped down through the air and, once he was close enough to his target, sent a thin ki blast spiraling toward the creature's neck. He landed and waited for Trunks to join him.

"That thing is too small," Trunks complained, eying the deer. Gohan landed beside them, and nodded, with a weary sigh. 

"For once, I have to agree with you, Trunks. They don't have any big creatures here. That we can eat anyway. There are dragons, but I don't think it would be wise to go after one of them. And they are sentient, so it would be kinda gross." Goten plopped down next to his kill, and propped his chin in his hands.

"Well, I guess we just have to eat a lot of deer."

Trunks' scowl deepened, and he suddenly took to air. Gohan looked up at the twinkling streak that followed him, and sighed once more. "Well, a guy's gotta eat," he shrugged and flew upward also. He picked out a bluish white streak of light, marking Trunks' success in finding another kill, and took off in search of his own. He headed toward the sea, enjoying the slightly salty air, keen eyes moving in a continuous search. Suddenly, his eyes picked up a large object moving through the dark waves in front of him. Picking up his speed, he zoomed in for a closer look. He saw a large, squid like creature, that he did not recognize. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he needed food, and shot down like a hawk toward it. He did not notice that he had a stunned audience from a pirate ship that was trying to outrun the creature. They watched in awe as the mysterious figure swept down from the sky and wrestled the most feared creature in every known country with his bare hands. For a long time after Gohan and the kraken disappeared into the rosy hues of the breaking dawn, the pirates stared upward, in wondering fear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Piccolo was found by the violet eyed female, he eyed her more carefully, Dende's brief warning fresh in his mind. "King Jonathan would like you and the others to come to Lord Raoul's room when you have broken fast," she stated, after greeting him, and introducing her companion. He nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward the lizard-like creature beside the human. Tkaa, it was called. A... basilisk? He had never heard of such a race, and made a mental note to ask Vegeta later. When Alanna had left, Tkaa bowed, and spoke for the first time.

"May I ask what you eat, Master Piccolo?" he said in a grating voice. "I prefer a good rock or a delectable variety of stone myself." Piccolo blinked. _Stones?!?!_ His face remained passive, and he answered. 

"I do not eat. All I require is water." Tkaa nodded, and bowed, excusing himself. Piccolo wandered aimlessly, looking in distaste at the various decorations and wall hanging. Suddenly, a loud bell rang, and down a hallway, he saw doors opening and humans rushing around. He eyes picked out the female he had defended the night before, and wondered again why he had done so. His obsidian eyes met her hazel ones, and she gave him a timid smile. She moved toward him, and self-consciously stuck her hands in her pockets. He noticed that her eye was blackened, and she had a cut on one cheek. 

"Thanks," she said quietly, somehow realizing that he did not like unnecessary chatter. He nodded shortly, then started to leave. 

"W-would you like to eat with us?" she suddenly asked. He stopped and looked at her. She looked down at her shoes, then raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "I mean, if you don't have anywhere else to go..." Her voice trailed off.

Piccolo wondered why she bothered for a moment, then surprised himself by agreeing.

"Alright." The girl's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "Come on," she said, and moved down the hall and a flight of stairs to a room that was filled with people, many of them the ones he had seen training earlier. She walked to a line where people were getting food, and he awkwardly stood beside her. When he took nothing, she looked at him in concern.

"I require only water," he explained briefly, and she nodded. "Oh. Well, that's on the table." She paused in mid-step and looked at him curiously. "What is your name, anyway?"

"Piccolo." She nodded, and led the way to a table where several males sat. "My name is Keladry, but most people call me Kel." When they reached the table, she introduced the others. "This is Neal, Prosper, Owen, and Merric. This is Piccolo. He was the one who helped me with Joren, Vinson, and Zahir last night." They offered cautious greetings, yet the Namek was surprised to notice that there wasn't fear. They seemed accustomed to unusual beings, and accepted his presence with curiosity, and interest, rather than fear and hostility, to which he was accustomed.

Somehow, he felt calm and actually began to relax.

==================================

Ok…I'm thinking about starting another DBZ crossover, but I need some ideas…like which characters from DBZ to use, and what the crossover should be…I was already thinking something like _Everworld_, but I need ya'll to help me out. So….

LALALALALA!!!!!!!! Today, it is by the order of Rainbow, senior dragon, that all readers must REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!! {He is backed by Diamondwing :-p}


	13. Chapter Eleven

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay, some ppl have been kinda wondering about Pic's sudden rude behavior toward Gohan, as he kinda softened up since Cell…well, you have to remember that our favorite green Namek is confused…he is unsure why he is acting so nice to this 'human female' so he takes it out on the person who won't get easily offended…and he is not used to normal humans acting so nice to him, and being so fearless around him…hope that clears up a few things. Oh, and Valesa? About Tris and Pic… Just watch the story develop ^_^ * snickers evilly* Let's just say, they do not get along….

Ahem….anyway……

==================================

"What is your name, anyway?"

"Piccolo." She nodded, and led the way to a table where several males sat. "My name is Keladry, but most people call me Kel." When they reached the table, she introduced the others. "This is Neal, Prosper, Owen, and Merric. This is Piccolo. He was the one who helped me with Joren, Vinson, and Zahir last night." They offered cautious greetings, yet the Namek was surprised to notice that there wasn't fear. They seemed accustomed to unusual beings, and accepted his presence with curiosity, and interest, rather than fear and hostility, to which he was accustomed.

Somehow, he felt calm and actually began to relax.

==================================

Chapter Eleven:

Dende eyed the creature before him curiously. It had the head of a blonde haired human man, longish scraggly hair that was braided into many tiny tiny thin braids. But the body…it was that of a winged creature, made of razor sharp silver-ish metal. He prevented his nose from wrinkling just in the nick of time. The stench coming from the creature was overwhelmingly disgusting. 

"Hello," he said politely. The creature blinked at him, then tipped his head. "What are you?" it asked in a deep voice. Dende blinked back, then allowed a small grin to cross his features. "I'm a Namek. I am a god in another realm. What are you?" The creature eyed him again when he said this, and made a face that Dende could not read. "I am a Stormwing. We were created to discourage mortal from wars, as Stormwings ravage and pillage dead bodies and battlefields." Dende gave a surprised noise. "Interesting." He tapped is chin. "I wonder if it would work on Earth…" he said thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. "Nah. Too many Saiyans around. Nothing would stop them from a good fight, if only to get almost killed and become stronger." The Stormwing gave him a funny look, but did not comment. "My name is Dende. What is yours?" the small Namek asked. "I am Klashdi." 

Dende smiled genially. "Well, Klashdi, nice to meet you. See ya around!" With that parting note, he strolled off down the road. He had no idea were it lead to, other that somewhere in the realm of the gods. But then, no kidding. Considering that's were he was…

Oh, well. It had to go somewhere.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once more, a meeting was being conducted in the library where all the adventures had begun for the Tortallans. Alanna stood to the side and slightly behind of the chair that the King was perched in. Piccolo stood facing King Jonathan off to the side, a scowl across his features. Lord Raoul sat to the side of the King, across from the Lioness, and Gohan sat in front of him, next to Numair, Tris, and Briar. Evvy, Trunks, and Goten were on the floor near Gohan's feet. 

"Well," Jonathan began, once everyone was settled. "I have asked you all here, because I believe that you can help our country. Lately, we have been having some trouble east on our border with Tusaine." His voice trailed off, and his eyes looked distant. Gohan spoke up, a bit timidly, unsure if he was supposed to.

"We'd be happy to do whatever we can," he said. Jonathan looked at him, then suddenly frowned. "What exactly is it that you can do, anyway," he asked. "I know that you are powerful, but what kind of power I don't. Magic?"

Gohan grimaced at the thought, then shook his head. Before he could speak, Trunks broke in. "Puh-_lease_! Hmph!" He crossed his arms, frowning. Gohan rolled his eyes, then looked back up at the Tortallans. "No, we do not use magic. I'm afraid Trunks is rather insulted, because when it comes to an all around fight, magic won't do you much good, fighting us. It can be used indirectly, to try to drain us of power, to control our minds, things like that, but if you were to meet us face to face, we could probably destroy you with ease."

"Destroy us how?" Numair questioned. "Theoretically, of course," he added, seeing the grimace on Alanna's face. Gohan grinned. "We are what is known in our dimension as Saiyans. Well, half. Saiyans are very powerful in physical strength, and ki. Ki is the energy of life, which everyone possesses. Humans generally do not have very high ki. Anyway, we can harness this energy in our bodies and form a blast which, with enough power, could take out this country and the surrounding countries in one blow. We can also use it the fly, and can sense the power of another fighter. Humans generally are to blended together to pick out individuals, although some of our friends have pretty high ki."

"Or if we bond to them," Goten and Trunks snickered. Gohan kicked them hard enough to hurt, but not do any real damage. He then became thoughtful. "Oh yeah. Nameks, like Piccolo, can materialize things. He motioned toward the Namek. "Like his clothes."

"Out of nothing?!?!" Lord Raoul exclaimed. Gohan nodded. The room fell silent for a moment, then Tris snorted indelicately. 

"That is the craziest thing I have ever heard." Trunks glared at her. "Yeah? Well, who ever heard of a girl who keeps lightning and wind in her hair?" Tris scowled back, knowing it was highly unusual, even at Winding Circle. Trunks formed a small blast in his hand and held it for a moment for his stunned audience, before allowing it to fade. Suddenly, he grinned, and Goten grinned back, picking up on his plan. "Oh, did Gohan mention?" Trunks asked innocently. "We can power up and become even stronger. This is called a Super Saiyan." With that, the two chibis leapt up and yelled. A sort of breeze blew around them, and a golden glow surrounded their small forms. Their hair became golden, and eyes a piercing green. They then turned to look at Gohan, who looked at them for a moment, then shrugged. Standing up, he began to raise his ki. His hair flashed gold, and his cheerful dark eyes became a hard green. 

=====================

Ok, some ppl have been saying that they heard somewhere that the Winding Circle ppl and the Tortall ppl knew about each other, but I have never hear that, and I have read all the books. Tortall is surrounded by Scanra, Tusaine, Galla, and Tyra, with the Yamani and Copper Islands to the west, and Carthak to the south. There is no Sotat, or Emelan or whatever on the maps in the books. The same with the COM books. There is no Carthak, Tortall, Yamani, etc. So, if anyone can tell me otherwise for sure, please do…

Oh, yeah. I'm going away twenty-three miles up river from the nearest civilization, which, in turn, is five hours away from the nearest city, for a week…so I won't be updating, hahaha…just a warning


	14. Chapter Twelve

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I know this is a weird combination, cross-over, whatever, but then, I'm a weird person. O_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ok…someone was wondering about the Stormwing and Dende….well, Dende is not on Earth at the moment. He doesn't dare, because he is scared of Vegeta, for one, and second, he feels like exploring the realm of the gods. Why, I don't know. Because I felt like making him adventurous…or something…So, yeah, he is in the other realm right now.

==================================

"That is the craziest thing I have ever heard." Trunks glared at her. "Yeah? Well, who ever heard of a girl who keeps lightning and wind in her hair?" Tris scowled back, knowing it was highly unusual, even at Winding Circle. Trunks formed a small blast in his hand and held it for a moment for his stunned audience, before allowing it to fade. Suddenly, he grinned, and Goten grinned back, picking up on his plan. "Oh, did Gohan mention?" Trunks asked innocently. "We can power up and become even stronger. This is called a Super Saiyan." With that, the two chibis leapt up and yelled. A sort of breeze blew around them, and a golden glow surrounded their small forms. Their hair became golden, and eyes a piercing green. They then turned to look at Gohan, who looked at them for a moment, then shrugged. Standing up, he began to raise his ki. His hair flashed gold, and his cheerful dark eyes became a hard green. 

==================================

Chapter Twelve:

The Tortallans, Briar, Evvy, and Tris gaped at the three Saiyans, while Piccolo just sighed and closed his eyes, bored. 

"Wha?!?How-?" Tris tried to say. Trunks grinned and allowed his power level to drop and his hair once more became lavender and eyes a clear blue. The other two followed suit as he smirked at the red headed weather witch.

"Ridiculous?" he taunted. She just looked at him, clearly stunned. After a moment of awed silence, King Jonathan spoke.

"Well. I do hope you will agree to help my kingdom," he said, looking around the room. Papers and books had been blown around by the blast of power emitted from the three demi-Saiyans. It looked like a tornado had gone through the room. Or, Briar thought, it looked like Tris had lost her temper…

Numair spoke up. "Your majesty, I believe that I can work with our three mages, if you will allow me. I believe that they may be able to help you with your control when you call on Tortall with the stone. Briar is a plant mage, Evvy a stone mage, and Tris, as you already know, works with earth forces and weather."

Suddenly, Piccolo's head snapped up and his eyes flew open.

Hellooo, my fellow Namek! {haha, I know this is totally OOC for Dende, but, hey! It's my story…:) }

Dende! Piccolo growled mentally. What the hell do you think you're doing? Who is this, this Dream King? Dende laughed. Gainel, god of dreams in this realm. He visits the people through their dreams, sends warnings, you know. Anyway, he has seen something that he wishes your assistance on. Do you want to talk to him? I'll tell him to come in a dream… Dende paused for a moment. Well, I can tell him to talk to Gohan in a dream. You don't sleep. Piccolo's scowl deepened, when Gohan's voice broke into his conversation.

"Uh, Piccolo?" He focused on the boy. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just talking to Dende. He says that some god named Gainel, or the Dream King is responsible for our being here. He's going to have this Gainel come talk to you in a dream. To explain himself." He stopped for a moment, and his eyes seemed to go out of focus. Finally, he turned back to Gohan. "I just explained to him that it had better be as soon as possible, or King Kai will be looking for a new Kami for Earth." Gohan nodded uncertainly.

"Okay…"

Trunks wasn't so forgiving. "Make sure he tells this Gainel that he had better stay far away from me, because I will blast him into the Death Zone if I meet up with him." Goten brightened visibly. "Hey, Trunks, remember what you said last night about the pramph-mmlemmagommp-" He was cut of as Trunks clamped a hand around him mouth. "Shut up, Goten," he ordered, then released the little chibi. Goten scowled, but kept quiet. Gohan regarded the young Prince and his brother suspiciously, but turned back to the King.

"If you will excuse us, King Jonathan," he said politely, "Trunks, Goten, and I are going to go explore a bit. I'll get back to you when this Gainel person talks to me, and explains a few things." He turned to Piccolo. "You wanna come?" The Namek shook his head and stalked out of the room. Gohan shrugged, and motioned to the two chibis. They, too, took their leave.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Trunks spun in a plunging spiral toward the earth and zoomed back up just at the last moment. Goten laughed and began copying him. Gohan just shook his head as he watched. He could tell the two were bored, and missing home. He wouldn't mind getting back himself. Suddenly, a flash of silver nearly blinded him and he spun around. He came face to face with a hideous black haired creature. While it had the head of a human, it's body was that of an avian creature made of a silverish metal. It's hair was tangled, with various bones, beads, and other objects intwined in it.

"How is it that you can fly, human?" the creature sneered. Gohan nearly gagged as its stench reached his nostrils.

"I-I'm not human," he gasped, moving slightly, searching for fresh air as he hovered. Breathing a bit easier, he eyed the creature. "I'm only half. What are you?"

"You have never heard of Stormwings?" it asked in insulted tones. "And what is your other half. Are you of the gods?"

"Sorry," Gohan shrugged apologetically. "Never heard of you. I'm not from around here. And no, not gods. My father is from a race known as the Saiyans."

The Stormwing snorted, then dipped around, before flying away without even saying goodbye. Trunks and Goten moved up beside the older boy as they watched it go.

"What was that, 'niisan?" Goten asked. "I dunno," he replied. "Something called a Stormwing."

Suddenly, a piercing scream sounded from below. Looking down, Gohan could just make out the figure of a young child scrambling away from the most hideous thing he had ever seen. It, like the Stormwing, had a human head, as well as two arms that weilded doubleheaded axes in both hands. The body, however, was that of a gigantic spider that sprang at the child from a nearby tree. Gohan swooped down as the creature raised up and shot a thick, sticky gray rope at the young boy, entrapping him in a tangled mess. He was getting closer when a man suddenly jumped from the trees, slashing at the creature with a pitchfork. Gohan could see the sheer terror on the man's face as he desperately tried to save the boy. The spider-thing simply swept one ax down, cutting the pitchfork in half, and thrusting the other into the man.

"NOOO!" Gohan shouted as the man fell. Startled, the creature looked up as the enraged demi-Saiyan's fist plowed into his face. Black blood sizzled as it ran down the creature's face, splashing onto Gohan's arm as he broke it's neck. Suddenly, a burning pain shot up his right arm, and he fell to the ground near the child with a cry. Goten dropped next to him in concern, as the older boy writhed in pain.

" 'Niisan!" he exclaimed in fright. He had never seen his brother in so much pain. "What's wrong?!?" Trunks blasted the sticky rope from the boy and helped him up.

"It's the spidren's blood," the boy exclaimed. "It got on his arm. Spidren's blood can eat through flesh like nothing. You must get him to a healer!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Thank you guys for being so patient with me! I came back a while ago, but then I left again to go halibut fishing…if any of you have ever done it, maybe you can relate to how my arm feels right now…IT HURTS!!! Halibut can fight like you never would have guessed…but anyway, I can still type a little, just not straighten my arm to fast…hahaha, so yeah, REVIEW!! 


	15. Chapter Thirteen

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

I AM SOOOOO SORRY!!*sniff* I have no excuse, other than procrastination : ( Will ya forgive me? hahha, anyway, I finally put up a new chappie

==================================

" 'Niisan!" he exclaimed in fright. He had never seen his brother in so much pain. "What's wrong?!?" Trunks blasted the sticky rope from the boy and helped him up.

"It's the spidren's blood," the boy exclaimed. "It got on his arm. Spidren's blood can eat through flesh like nothing. You must get him to a healer!"

==================================

Chapter Thirteen:

Dende was still strolling along the path in the realm of the gods. So far he had met a Stormwing, a badger god, a centaur, and the god of hunt. Now before him was a great expanse of desert. He was staring across it, when a rush of wind announce company. Turning, he saw Klashdi and another Stormwing behind him.

"You don't want to go in there," Klashdi grated. "It will kill you."

"What is on the other side?" Dende asked. 

"Dragons." Dende's eyes lit up at this. "Really?! Is there any way across?" The two Stormwings looked at each other, and laughed. "Tell you what, little godling," Klashdi said. "Rayga and I will carry you across. Just sit in your cape, and give us the ends. Dende blinked, but complied. After a long time, the two Stormwings set the cape down and seemed to be staring nervously toward a big group of enormous rocks. 

"This is as far as we go. Dragons and Stormwings don't mix," Rayga said. The two took off, leaving the Namek by himself. He shrugged, and began walking again. Suddenly, a large figure reared up into the sky before him, towering hundreds of feet into the air.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo stalked through the hallways of the palace, and into the courtyard. Once he entered the sunlight, he was met by bustling pages, teachers, horses, and servants as they rushed to prepare for some journey. Kel, seeing him eying everyone with distaste, moved to stand beside him for a moment.

"Hello."

"Hm."

Not discouraged by his single syllable answer, she smiled up at him. "We're going on a trip to help with our skills as pages," she informed him. "It's part of our training to become knights."

"Like you'll ever last," sneered the fair-headed Joren from before as he strode past them. Kel clenched her fists, but said nothing. Piccolo eyed her.

"Why do you let him speak to you in this way?" he inquired. She sighed. "I have to," she explained. "I must concentrate on becoming a squire, then a knight, and ignore his petty insults. I will not stoop to his level."

The Namek thought about this concept for a while, then spoke again. "Why do no other females participate in this?" he questioned. Kel looked at him in surprise. 

"Well, most people don't think that girls _can_ become knights. Alanna the Lioness is the only one, and people say she got there by magic, or spells. Most people are against _me_ being a page."

Piccolo shook his head. He couldn't believe the humans strange ideas. "And I thought the humans where we live were primitive," he muttered to himself.

"So, you don't think there's anything wrong with a lady knight?" Kel questioned cautiously. He turned to look at her, then crossed his arms.

"I have found that often times a woman can do things far more competent than a man. Especially when someone says she can't do it. I don't know, but females seem to thrive on proving people wrong." {A/N: Heehee….sorry, boys!}

Kel began giggling. "You know," she said, still laughing, "I think you're right."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gohan struggled to his knees with the help of the two younger demi-Saiyans. "Can you fly?" Trunks questioned. Gohan nodded, although his face was lined with pain. Picking up the boy they had rescued, Trunks rose into the air, followed by the others. The boy clutched him in terrified surprise.

"Wha?!?!" 

"Just hold on to me, and shut up," the little Saiyan prince ordered. Trembling, the boy obeyed, although his grip on the lavender haired chibi nearly strangled him. They sped back to the castle in Corus, keeping low to the tree line of the Royal Forest, as not to attract too much attention. They entered the palace through Piccolo's bedroom window. When Trunks released his hold on the boy, he stared at them, terrified.

"How did you do that?" he breathed. Trunks just looked at him disdainfully. Goten laughed awkwardly.

"Uh, what's your name, anyway?" he asked. "Jeslan." "Well, I'm Goten, this is my brother, Gohan, and that's my best friend, Trunks." 

"Great, this is all nice and good," Gohan gasped as he leaned against the bed from his place on the floor, "but can someone _puh-lease_ go get that Numair guy?"

"Uh, right," Trunks said, and disappeared out the door, leaving the other three alone.

_Ok, now how am I gonna find that guy?_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, he saw the girl who was always with Numair, Daine, or whatever.

"Hey, woman!" he yelled. She turned around in surprise, then smiled slightly when she saw him. "Do you need something?" she asked him.

"Gohan's been hurt," he informed her. "We need that Numair guy, or somebody." Her eyes widened, and she turned.

"Come on," she said, running down the hall. She burst through a doorway, Trunks right behind her. "Duke Baird!" she said as the occupants of the room looked up. "Duke Baird, we need a healer, right now." An older looking man, looked up in surprise, then rose.

"Daine, what is it?" he asked in concern. "One of the visitors has been injured," she replied. She looked at Trunks questioningly.

"It was some weird giant spider thing," he said. "Gohan killed it, but then some black stuff got on his arm, and the boy said that he needed a healer."

"Spidren blood," the duke muttered. "Come, I'll go myself."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When they reached the room where Gohan, Goten, and Jeslan were waiting, the demi-Saiyan was silent, face drawn. He couldn't understand why this…blood caused so much pain. His Saiyan healing should have kick in by now, but all he could feel was the intense pain shooting up his arm, feel it literally eating away at his flesh. Goten sat next to his niisan, almost in tears, terrified at his brother's silent, pain ridden face. Jeslan sat next to him, the day's events seeming to kick in for the first time. For the first time, he realized that his father had died trying to save his life.

Duke Baird took one look at Gohan, then ordered him to follow him to the healing chambers. Gohan followed without comment, other than telling the two little ones to stay out of trouble, and to find Piccolo as soon as possible. He seemed to have traveled away from the palace some distance. The two nodded, and left Jeslan in Daine's care. They left by the window, and silently flew off in search of the Namek.

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PLZ REVIEW!


	16. Chapter Fourteen

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

Ok, someone asked when Dende met the god of hunt…well, I didn't actually write that, I was just alluding to the fact that he did….

****

Thought for the Day:

Never explain-your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. 

==================================

Duke Baird took one look at Gohan, then ordered him to follow him to the healing chambers. Gohan followed without comment, other than telling the two little ones to stay out of trouble, and to find Piccolo as soon as possible. He seemed to have traveled away from the palace some distance. The two nodded, and left Jeslan in Daine's care. They left by the window, and silently flew off in search of the Namek.

==================================

Chapter Fourteen:

Dende gaped at the enormous being before him. The dragon was nearly as large as the Eternal Dragon, but was different in shape. He recognized that this creature had more of the Westernized version of dragons, the huge lizard like creature with wings that didn't look like they could support its weight.

"Who are you, and what is your business in our lands?" it demanded in a great booming voice. Dende bowed respectively.

"I am a god from a different dimension, and I was just wandering around this realm. My name is Dende."

"What are you, little god?" the dragon questioned, curious. "I have never seen anything like you."

"I am what is known as a Namek in my dimension. What is your name?"

The dragon blinked, then lowered his head down to peer wonderingly at the little alien. "I am called Azure," he finally anwered. "Come. I will take you to see Rainbow. He will decide what is to be done with you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo frowned from where he hovered above the group of pages, looking toward the Royal Forest. He had felt Gohan's power level shoot up, then drop down to an unusually all-time low. It was about equal to Yamcha or Tien at their highest.

"Piccolo!" Looking down, he saw Kel staring up at him in awe, from atop her temperamental horse, Peachblossom. "Is something wrong?" He lowered down to where she was and hovered so his eyes were level with hers. "It's nothing to conc-" He suddenly cut off and swiveled his head rapidly toward Corus, where two sparkles of light could be seen closing in from the distance. A few seconds later, Trunks and Goten stopped before the Namek.

"Gohan's been hurt!" Goten exclaimed. Piccolo's normally stoic expression showed shock. "By who?" he demanded.

"Something called a spidren," Trunks explained. "We were out having fun, when we saw it attack this kid and kill some man who was trying to protect him. Gohan got mad and attacked and killed it, but some of the blood splattered on his arm." Piccolo looked confused. 

"That should not affect him," he said. "Saiyans heal rapidly."

By this time, they had an audience. Lord Wyldon spoke up from beside Kel. "Spidren are immortals. They're magical creatures. That could be your problem."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Briar, Tris and Evvy sat in Numair's chambers as he muttered under his breath and shifted through various papers and books he had on his desk. He lifted a plant from the windowsill and handed it to Briar.

"Here. This plant hasn't been doing so well. Can you do something?" Briar looked around at the black magic that shimmered around the room, and shrugged. He had already realized that the plant was being overtaken by a fungus, in the roots. He sent a flame of his magic to scour the fungus from the ivy, and set the plant back down. It leaned toward him, singing thanks and love toward its new friend.

Numair's eyes furrowed, and he scribbled something. Looking at Tris, he motioned toward the window. "Call a storm cloud?" Tris closed her eyes and concentrated. Opening them once more, she shook her head.

"There isn't one close enough. If I tried to form one with the winds-"

Numair interrupted her by waving his hand. "Of course. Don't try." He smiled wryly. "The mages want my head enough as it is, for disturbing their spells and such, without a magical storm to boot." He turned and smiled at Evvy, who cautiously smiled back.

"And how about you, little one?" She ducked her head, then look at Briar uncertainly. He smiled his reassurance, and she looked back up at Numair, her eyes wide with sadness.

"The stones in the foundation are tired," she announced gravely. "They can't stand for much longer."

==================================

Hello, Everyone!!! SOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOORYYYY it took me soo long. In the words of Jacques on _Finding Nemo, _"I am ashamed." * looks down in shame and sniffles* (BTW, thanks for whoever corrected me on Alanna and Jonathan's home…considering I have all four of the Lioness series, and three of the Protector, and have read all the Immortal series, you'd think I would have noticed my mistake J And thank you all my other reviewers!) (Oh, yeah….when are the books 'bout Alanna's daughter coming out?)

Don't forget to **Review**!!!


	17. Chapter Fifteen

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer: All characters from Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I do not own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belong to Mr. Toriyama...anyway

Thought for the Day:

The best substitute for brains is silence.

Chapter Fifteen:

Numair nearly choked on the tea he had just sipped when he heard the young girl's words. Setting his cup down, he knelt down in front of her and grasped her shoulders.

"You are certain of this?" he whispered. She nodded, twitching slightly in his gentle grasp. Kitten whistled shrilly from where she perched on Daine's lap, as Briar and Tris looked at each other in concern. Numair released Evvy, and leaned back on his heels with a tired sigh as he look at Daine.

"We should have seen this coming," he commented. "At least thought of the possibility." He looked at Evvy. "Where are they weak? If I take you to the lower levels, can you pinpoint the location?"

"I think so," she said uncertainly.

Numair led the way down the dark stairways into the seldom visited bowels of the great castle. Evvy followed close behind, with Tris and Briar behind her. Numair held a globe of light in his hand, but as they reached the ancient dungeons, which nobody used anymore, it proved to be deficient. Before the mage could summon more light, Tris let loose a crackle of lightning that zipped around her body in a crazy pattern. Numair blinked at the increase of light, then bowed slightly to her.

"Thank you, m'lady," he said. Before she could retort at his use of words, he turned to Evvy. "If you will be so kind as to lead the way, m'dear?" She nodded, and confidently made her way through the dark hallway. The mildew and musty smell reminded her of her home in the Prince's Heights in Oldtown Chammur, and she shuddered slightly, grateful that Briar had found her and rescued her from that horrible life as a _thukdak_. Without even thinking, Evvy turned into a connecting passage, and froze at the sight that met her eyes. A large room with a strange pattern that decorated the floor lay before a broken entrance to what looked like an ancient temple. A sword lay in the center of the pattern, blackened as if it had been burned by an intense heat. Her entire body tensed as she felt the weakness in the stones.

"Here." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. Numair observed their surroundings with a sigh and a resigned look.

"I should have guessed that one as well. With as much power that when into the Gate of Idramm, it's a given that there would be some repercussions to the castle. Not to mention the earthquakes nearly ripped the entire _country_ apart to boot."

"What is a Gate of Idramm?" Tris asked curiously. The mage pointed to the pattern on the ground.

"That. It is an extremely powerful spell, that will summon all the magical creatures, good and bad within a certain distance, depending on the amount of power put into it. This one was created by a powerful mage named Duke Roger. He was King Jonathan's cousin. He was killed by the Lady Knight, but brought back to life by her brother. Duke Roger had put a spell on himself called the Sorcerer's Sleep, which allows a mage to hover between the realms of the living and dead, if he is powerful enough, and it also makes it easier to be called back into the realm of the living." He looked over his shoulder at the weather witch. "Alanna killed him a second time, at this very spot."

Understandably, the three shivered as a chill ran up their spines. Evvy gave the other three a sidelong glance, then crept a few steps out onto the pattern of the Gate.

"Can you feel it?" she whispered, her eyes intent on the stones that surrounded the sword in the center of the room. "Can you feel that power?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Gohan lay in a hazy world of pain, vaguely aware of Duke Baird as he moved around the room. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt such pain. He saw the cloudy features of the healers face as he moved up beside the bed, before drifting off into the darkness.

__

Son Gohan

The teenaged demi-Saiyan looked around him, seeing only eternal darkness, unable to pinpoint the location of the voice. Suddenly, before him, a mist began to take shape, and soon become a dark figure cloaked in a long robe.

__

Who are you?! Gohan demanded, unable to speak, but somehow realizing that he could communicate mind to mind.

__

I am called Gainel. I am also known as the Dream King, came the reply. He vaguely remembered Piccolo saying something about this being. It was something important, he should remember…

__

An evil arises within Tortall, the figure went on in his mysterious, wispy-like mind voice. _You must rid us of its evil…destroy it before it devours that realm and this realm. Before it becomes strong enough to move on to devour your realm as well. Before it becomes unstoppable._

But how? he cried out._ I thought you were a god! Can't you do something, or at least this Mithros I keep hearing about?!_ The next sound could only be described as a bitter chuckle.

__

It veils even the eyes of Mithros and the Great Mother Goddess. Chaos herself does not see the evil in this creature, and she is the very essence of evil. **You** are the one who must destroy it. The two young ones will show you the way. They will lighten the path for you.

And Piccolo? he demanded.

__

Ah…the Namek. He will prove useful in his own way, I think. As for the other three, the young plant mage, the weather witch, and the stone mage…they are but pawns. **I **did not draw them here. The evil did. Now you must stop them, at all costs. Before they consume the Black Mage himself. Stop them…

The voice trailed off as the figure before him faded to nothing. Gohan's eyes flew open, and he sat up with a gasp.

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Oooo…and the plot thickens! Have you noticed that whenever you are writing a story, it tends to take a life of its own? A lot of what I write just comes to me while I am typing….I'll have a basic story line, and then I get all these ideas…lol….anyway, REVIEW!!!


	18. Chapter Sixteen

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer - All the characters from the Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, The Protector of the Small, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I don't own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belongs to Mr. Toriyama…..

Hey people….sorry about the looooooooooooooooooong delay….see, I did update! J Thanks for all my reviewers!!!!

****

Thought for the Day:

Lettin' somebody ya love know ya love 'em isn't a bad thing, ya know.

Chapter Sixteen-

Dende and Azure made their way through a wall of cascading red and white flames, after a voice within the flaming portal harassed the Namekian, much to the blue dragon's amusement. Dende was then carried to an enormous amphitheater where he met the ancient dragon, Rainbow.

"Why have you come to our land, stranger?" Rainbow asked in a tired voice. Dende plopped down beside the dragon's head, which laid on his forepaws, and looked up into the clear blue sky.

"In my world, dragons are basically nonexistent and those that are, are trapped within the dragon balls, called upon only to make a wish. They are also only as strong as their Kami, or creator, but can raise the dead, recreate worlds…you know. I just wanted to see what the dragons here were like."

Rainbow rose up a bit. "You imprison dragons?!" Dende shook his head, still a picture of utter calm.

"No, no. In essence, we _create_ them, or at least give them essence. There are only two that I know of, my dragon of Earth, Shenlong, and the dragon of my home planet, Porunga. There are probably others somewhere."

Before the ancient creature could speak, a dark shadow passed overhead, and a large pearly white dragon landed, patterns of lightning scattering over her scales.

"Moonwind, why have you come?" Rainbow demanded. "Did you not learn before that I do not wish to see your face, when Skysong's guardian was here?"

Moonwind growled. "_Guardian_," she spat. "Jail keeper is more like it. Why do you continue to allow these pathetic creatures to enter the Dragonlands?" Rainbow reared up with a strength that belied his fragile look.

"Do you question my judgment then, Moonwind?" Azure, who had been reclining nearby also rose up as if to protect the elder dragon. Moonwind flinched but turned her attention to Dende.

"You are not even anything that I have heard of," she sneered, eying the young god. Suddenly she lunged toward the Namek, who threw up his staff in surprise, shouting a phrase before he knew it. There was a flash, and a stone statue suddenly appeared where Moonwind had been. Seven stone spheres hovered before them. Azure, who had started forward, froze in surprise. Dende blinked then looked at Rainbow, who was equally surprise.

"Umm…"

"Is this…your dragon balls?" Rainbow asked after a moment. The Kami of Earth blushed purple.

"Yes," he said, eying the orbs. "I didn't mean t-"

Rainbow cut him off. "No, you had every right to defend yourself. Is it reversible?" Dende nodded and Rainbow lay down in his former position once more. "Then leave Moonwind, for now. Perhaps it will do her some good."

Dende nodded and settled back down with an understanding grin. Azure, unsure of what to do, also returned to his previous place.

~*~*~*~*~

Dende! Dende jumped in surprise when he heard Piccolo's voice shout in his mind, stopping in mid-sentence in his conversation with Rainbow. He scowled mentally.

What, Piccolo? I'm kinda busy.

I don't care what the hell you're doing. Gohan's hurt. Dende straightened visibly.

What?!

Some…spidren or something.

Oh. Don't worry, Duke Baird will take care of it. He'll be fine.

He better, or Earth will need a new Kami. You could have warned us. Dende sighed. A lot of people seemed to be threatening him lately. And he was completely innocent! Okay, well maybe not completely. But certainly no need for death threats.

Sorry, slipped my mind. Talk to ya later! With that, he cut off the communication, and smiled apologetically at the dragon. "Sorry. It's not easy being a god."

~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo growled, then looked at the two waiting demi-Saiyans.

"Dende said it will be all right. Don't worry about it for now." Goten nodded with obvious relief, but Trunks simply crossed his arms. Piccolo could see the relief in his eyes however, and smirked at the young prince's behavior. He was so much like Vegeta, that it was scary at times.

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Well, one more chapter up! Review!!!


	19. Chapter Seventeen

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer - All the characters from the Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, The Protector of the Small, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I don't own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belongs to Mr. Toriyama…..

Thanx for all my reviewers!!!!

~*~*~*~*~

****

Thought for the Day:

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring.  
He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.......  
The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo growled, then looked at the two waiting demi-Saiyans.

"Dende said it would be all right. Don't worry about it for now." Goten nodded with obvious relief, but Trunks simply crossed his arms. Piccolo could see the relief in his eyes however, and smirked at the young prince's behavior. He was so much like Vegeta, that it was scary at times.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Seventeen-

As Evvy stepped forward toward the sword, Skysong hurtled out of nowhere and knocked her over. She was whistling shrilly and flapped her wings emphatically over the little stone mage.

"Kitten!" Numair scolded. "There is no need to be rude!"

Kitten simply shrilled again, flapping her wings even harder. Briar eyed his young student with a strange expression.

"Evvy, what power are you talking about?" Evvy blinked and looked around, then scrambled out from under the irate dragon.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, confusion clearly written on her face. "How did I get on the floor? What is wrong with Kitten?" The dragon settled down at her name and studied the girl. Numair's eyebrow's furrowed and Tris scowled.

"You don't remember?" she demanded. The girl just blinked. Numair broke in.

"Out. Now!" he demanded. The other three jumped and looked at the mage. "No questions, just go. Quickly!" Tris scowled even more, but they obeyed, followed by Kitten. Numair stood and looked at the room for a long moment, before a chill ran up his spine. He shivered and took off after the others in a fast walk. He couldn't explain it, but a feeling of dread hovered over the entire room…

~*~*~*~*~

The young apprentice healer who was leaning over Gohan when he sat up, jumped in surprise, and nearly fell over. He stared at the demi-Saiyan for a moment then turned and fled from the room, calling for Duke Baird. Gohan looked around, and then looked down at his arm. It had an ugly red looking scar, and other than that, the only reminder that he had been hurt was a dull ache that he barely noticed, having been hurt much worse many times since the time he was four. Duke Baird walked in a moment later and smiled at him.  
"I'm glad to see you are feeling better," he said. "I was getting worried, because your body has a strong resistance. Now that you are awake, perhaps I can do-" He broke off and stared at his arm. Gohan laughed nervously and put his hand behind his head.

"Uh…I guess no one mentioned…Saiyans heal fast."

"Yes, I can see that," Duke Baird said giving him a calculating look. He examined the scar then nodded to himself. "Very nice. Does it hurt?"

"Not enough for me to notice unless I think about it," he replied. Duke Baird nodded again and stood up.

"You may leave, if you are sure," he said. "I see no reason to keep you. As I understand, the two young ones are quite worried."

As the healer began to leave, Gohan remembered Gainel's visit. He opened his mouth to asked about the Dream King, but found he could not speak. He closed his mouth and frowned, then tried again. It was too late. The Duke had left, leaving the puzzled sixteen-year old to wonder at his inability to speak.

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Hey, remember to review!


	20. Chapter Eighteen

When Earth Arises

Disclaimer - All the characters from the Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, The Protector of the Small, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I don't own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belongs to Mr. Toriyama…..

Thanx for all my reviewers!!!!

Hey, Rosethorn here. I know, I know….I'm a horrible procrastinator….L ….I try to be better, but it isn't working --" hehe…anyway, here's the next chappie!

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Thought for the Day:

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

======================================

"You may leave, if you are sure," he said. "I see no reason to keep you. As I understand, the two young ones are quite worried."

As the healer began to leave, Gohan remembered Gainel's visit. He opened his mouth to asked about the Dream King, but found he could not speak. He closed his mouth and frowned, then tried again. It was too late. The Duke had left, leaving the puzzled sixteen-year old to wonder at his inability to speak.

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Chapter Eighteen-

Trunks scowled in irritation. He watched the pale-blonde headed boy stalk away, accompanied by his two friends, Vinson and Garvey. Joren of Stone Mountain was proving himself to be a great annoyance to the young Saiyan prince. Trunk's scowl turned into a smirk. Everyone knew what Trunks did with people that annoyed him.

"Goten!" The black-haired chibi turned from where he was examining the hardened jerky given to him by the Shang Wildcat. "Yeah, Trunks?" he asked, as he popped the food into his mouth. "Come here." Trunks noticed Kel raise her eyebrow at her friend Neal at the command, and a returning look when Goten obeyed. He scowled in their direction. "Something for you, humans?" he demanded. Their faces quickly schooled, the two shook their heads, but Trunks noticed a twitch that played at Neal's lips. His scowl deepened as he turned back to his friend, deciding to ignore them. They would have to find out the folly of laughing at the Saiyan prince later. Right now, he had that pale-haired girly pansy Joren to take care of.

"Hey, Goten," he said. "We're gonna have a little fun." The Son chibi's eyes lit up. "Pranks?" he asked. Trunks grinned and pulled out a capsule.

"What else?"

Goten frowned then. "But who? Gohan's no fun to get without Videl around, and definitely not Piccolo…" He looked questioningly at the lavender-haired boy as Trunks began to laugh in a frighteningly similar way to his father's most evil laugh. He followed his friends gaze to where Joren stood talking to Zahir and a couple other. He began smiling as well.

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"What is going on?" Tris demanded as Numair herded them out of the lower levels of the castle and up to his and Daine's room. Kitten bustled along behind Evvy as if to keep her from turning back, whistling softly . The most powerful mage in all of Tortall, and perhaps the entire realm, chose not to answer, but simply pushed them all into his room and shut the door firmly. Kitten whistled her approval and sat next to him as he collapsed into a chair.

"There is something evil down there. I don't know what, but…" his voice trailed off as he looked at Evvy.

"You don't remember what happened before Kitten jumped on you?" he asked. The little stone mage shook her head, then stopped with a frown.

"Wait," she said. "I think…." She fell silent for a moment, and thought. Her eyes widened, and she looked up.

"There was an incredible power stored within the stones down there," she said. "That's why they were weakened. The magic has been there for a long time, and it is becoming too much to handle."

"Could it be…?" Numair's voice trailed off to a mutter as he jumped up and began digging through a bunch of old papers that littered his desk. The three younger mages exchanged confused glances, but kept their silence. If the black-haired man had an idea, they didn't want to spoil it by distracting him.

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Hmmmmm…..{Rubs chin and examines work}...... I suppose that I could write longer chapters….Oh well….Review!


	21. Chapter Nineteen

When Earth Arises

* * *

Disclaimer - All the characters from the Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Immortals, The Lioness Quartet, The Protector of the Small, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce. I don't own them. Or characters from Dragonballz, which belongs to Mr. Toriyama…..

* * *

**Thought for the Day:**

The trick to flying is throw yourself at the ground and miss.

* * *

Don't worry, Alanna is not gone for good…she has a major part in this so she can't be : )

* * *

"Could it be…?" Numair's voice trailed off to a mutter as he jumped up and began digging through a bunch of old papers that littered his desk. The three younger mages exchanged confused glances, but kept their silence. If the black-haired man had an idea, they didn't want to spoil it by distracting him.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen-

Gohan stretched as he thought about the Dream King's cryptic message. What he did know for sure was that he had _not_ brought the three mages Briar, Tris, and Evvy to this world. The demi-Saiyan considered this carefully and finally came to a decision. He sensed no true evil in the three, but that did not stop evil from using good people. He would keep a close eye on them without interference, until they proved a danger to anyone else.

As for the Black Mage, who he assumed was Numair, well, he could probably take care of himself. Even so, he seemed intent on studying the three mages, so he probably could keep an eye on him too.

Suddenly, he stomach rumbled. With a sheepish grin to the startled servant, he headed off to find something to eat. All he had to do was follow his enhanced sense of smell.

* * *

Trunks and Goten slowly crept toward the unsuspecting page. The boy known as Joren of Stone Mountain lay peacefully sleeping in his bedroll just inside the small hut. The two half-Saiyans gave each other grins and quickly set to work.

The next day dawned bright and clear. Not a cloud was in the sky, all was well in the land, and Lord Wyldon was ready for a fairly easy day with his charg- Suddenly a flash of bright orange caught his eye. It wasn't a normal shade of orange. In fact, he had never even seen a shade this bright before...not even the clothes of those strangers...

"What in Mithros' name do you think you're doing, Joren of Stone Mountain?!" he roared as he caught sight of the source. It wasn't until he focused on the boy that he saw a slightly more serious problem. Wyldon's eyes crinkled as he bit back a laugh.

"What the-!?!" Joren shot up, or at least tried to. The board that had been supporting his back and head to lay them parallel to the ground fell to the floor with a clatter as the pale-haired boy struggled. His legs had been firmly secured to the ceiling with what appeared to be bandages. The cloth then continued downwards to wrap around his body and successfully fastening his hands tightly to his sides. The ending result was the appearance of an oddly shaped butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. Well, except for the crude depiction of the boy in a tutu sporting fairy wings and carrying a star wand which was depicted on the cloth. And, just to top it all off, Joren's hair was bright orange.

Wyldon struggled to keep from choking on his held back laughter as his eyes caught Sergeant Ezko doing likewise. Many in the room, such as Cleon, Nealan and Merric had no such trouble. They roared with laughter, as they gazed incredulously at their fellow page. Even Prince Roald could not conceal his amusement, though, to his credit, he tried.

"Who is the instigator of this?" Wyldon demanded, bringing instant silence to the room. He caught an admiring glance from his sergeant at his ability to speak without laughing and almost lost it right there. Tightening his lips and regaining his composure, he pointedly ignored the dark-skinned man and looked around the room.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light nearly blinded him, followed by another in rapid succession. When his vision cleared, he saw the two strange children huddled around a black device which was held in the lavender haired one's hand. In his other hand, the child held two strange slips of paper.

"YES!!!" cried the other, pumping a fist into the air. "Perfect on the first shot!"

"Nice, Goten," the first (what was his name again?!) said, studying the papers. His head shot up and the two children's eyes widened as a voice spoke from behind them.

"So. What did this boy do end up on the wrong side of your pranks?" The older boy Gohan stood behind them, arms folded and eyebrow raised. He looked expectantly toward Trunks (that's it!...weird name) as his foot tapped, waiting for an answer.

"Um..." Goten started, expression signaling his nervousness. His older brother cut his off with a hard look, then turned back toward the blue-eyed child.

"Well, Trunks?"

The other boy had no such nervousness. He stared back boldly into the older boy's hard gaze and crossed his own arms. There was no mistake as to his royal heritage with that stance- not even for Wyldon, who normally could care less about some strange realm's royalty.

"He dared to show disrespect to _me._ He's just lucky I didn't kill him," the boy growled.

"Disrespect?" Gohan asked.

"He called us brats, oniisan," Goten said quickly. "He told us to go play and said we were weak and too little to fight. It was only cuz of the Horse guy that Trunks didn't kill 'em."

"Hey!" threw in the annoyed Shang Horse at the offhand reference to him.

Trunks ignored the Yamani and continued. "If he hadn't called that human weakling and his friends off, and if the old lady hadn't given us food, I _would _have killed him. _He_ got off lucky."

Gohan sighed but didn't argue the point. He knew well how even within himself, there was a strange repulsion at being named weak. There was a need to prove his strength...a burning desire to fight. He didn't doubt Trunks. Joren of Stone Mountain was _VERY_ lucky.

Lord Wyldon waited for a moment after the older boy's sigh, then broke in. "Vinson, you and Garvey release our young friend if you will. Queenscove, control yourself." This last comment was directed at Neal, who had starting laughing again. "'Son', is it? I would speak with you, if you will." Gohan looked up, then nodded. The spiky haired boy turned to his younger counterparts and scowled.

"Go find Piccolo. Tell him I said that you two were to meditate for three hours. Immediately."

"But, 'niisan, we didn't get to eat any-"

"_Now_."

The two boys fled the room as Gohan turned back toward the training master. He led the boy outside to a private corner of the clearing and got right to the point.

"I don't want anymore incidents. If you keep those boys clear of mine then I'll do the same." Faint surprise flashed through him as he heard the tone of his own voice. A battle weary look, an age old wisdom that belied his years, hung over the muscular boy, and Wyldon found himself responding as a fellow warrior. He was instinctively treating the boy as an equal.

Gohan nodded in agreement. "I apologize for their behavior, although I must say, Trunks wasn't exaggerating back there. That boy is extremely lucky...The Saiyan in our blood doesn't allow much room for insults to our strength. If Trunks' father was here, he would have killed him in an instant, for the insult to his blood and heir."

Wyldon nodded. "I understand. All the more reason to keep them apart. Thank you." With that, he stalked away, leaving the dark-haired boy to his own devices. He found himself still shaken up about his own behavior. And of the intense, raw power he saw in the dark orbs of that boy's eyes. He didn't doubt Son's word in the least. One false word-one false move, and a deadly, ravaging beast would be unleashed upon their unsuspecting world...one that even Mithros himself might have trouble dealing with.

Wyldon shuddered and shoved that thought aside, sending up a quick word of apology and prayer for protection to the god of war.

* * *

Wow....it has been a loooooong time.......


End file.
